Kyndal Giddens

McGriff

Comp 1

October 29, 2019

Is Technology Interfering with our Communication?

Does technology help with communication in our day-to-day life or hinder it? Social

media is one of the most frequently used ways of communication and is growing rapidly.

Although some people believe technology will have disastrous consequences for the English

language, technology has improved on how we communicate, increased orthography, and has

enlarged social interaction.

Due to the amount of time a person might spend on their phone each day, one might say

that technology hinders how often we communicate. Technology has actually made made how

we communicate more convenient and accessible. We have the world at our fingertips on a

smartphone. According to the Ted Talk, he says, “Texting is like speaking.” This is why so many

people use texting and will continue to use it. They can write how they speak and do not have to

think about using punctuation or capitalization when typing a message. The video also explains

that even long before texting, people have always worried about whether or not the way people

communicate was an issue.

Some people believe that the orthography of texting has decreased our knowledge of the

English language. In the source “Is texting killing the English language?” it states that “texting is

developing its own kind of grammar.” Altering or abbreviating words such as “you” to “u” or
“be” to “b” might show a form of laziness. “Lol” is a term that is now used when nothing is

actually amusing or humorous. However, this is not always the case. In “Everyone’s an Author,”

it states, “When messages are longer, containing more information, the amount of standard

orthography increases.” (pg. 901) This means not everyone always uses lazy grammar when

typing long paragraphs.

Some people feel as if being on social media can cause them to be less social due to

spending too much time on their smartphone. Instead of going to see that person, they will just

make a phone call instead. However, according to the online source “Social media does not

decrease face-to-face interactions”​ t​ hey made a couple studies to prove that social media is not

affecting people in such a bad way. They said, “​The first study, which followed the social media

use of individuals from 2009 to 2011, found that change in social media use was not associated

with changes in direct social contact.” It made them more comfortable when they interacted with

others.

Technology is developing its own kind of language. It can improve someone’s well

being. Technology has strengthened relationships as well as the English language. Without it, we

would not be as advanced in communication as we are today. The way we communicate will

always change throughout our lives, and so far the way it is now has done more good than harm.
 Works Cited

Crystal, David. “2b or Not 2b?” Everyone’s an Author with Readings, edited by Marilyn Moller,

W.W. Norton Company, 2017, 899-907. Everyone’s an Author

Hall, Jeffery, principal editor. "Social media does not decrease face-to-face interactions."

University of Missouri-Columbia, 2018,

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/03/180301103658.htm​. Accessed 1 Mar.

2018.

McWhorter, John. ​Texting is killing language. JK!!! ​Ted Talk, 2013,

https://www.ted.com/talks/john_mcwhorter_txtng_is_killing_language_jk#t-805743​.

Accessed Feb. 2013.

Is texting killing the English language? McWhorter, John. “Is texting killing the English

language?” Time.com, 25 April 2013, ideas.com. Accessed 23 Oct. 2019.