In the societies of both Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell and Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, language has been changed to a diminished form of what it used to be. Today, the usage of texting has changed communication, but for better or worse? This report will discuss the effect texting has had on it by showing the change in citizens’ social skills and literacy, and how social boundaries have changed. SOCIAL SKILLS Since texting has grown popular, it has had an effect on its users’ social skills. It “enhances avoidant tendencies” by allowing people to communicate through text whenever they feel uncomfortable rather than talking in person. Instead of learning to confront their problems head on, they’re able to cop out and simply talk over text (Suval). While this can be relieving, it creates problems as well—if people depend on texting to deal with their problems, they aren’t equipped with the ability to deal with their difficult situations in real life. …show more content…
Talking to others is fundamental in establishing these skills. According to the MIT psychologist Sherry Turkle, conversation gives children the skills “to think and reason and self-reflect.” Some other advantages of conversation are that it teaches adolescents to look for and understand visual signs, showing emotion, and learning small talk. All of these are absent while texting. They also help make the conversation become personal, allowing both parties to clearly convey their feelings. Besides lacking the many benefits of dialogue, too much texting creates its own problems. It makes them frightened of physically talking to people, and less likely to try to change that (Kluger). This evidence suggests that while texting may be okay in moderation, an excessive amount of it may harm