What The Kids Are Up To:

The texting takeover continues. Being back in San Francisco, around people my age, has shed a new light on how reliant the youth of America have become on texting. I was in Germany all fall, where I had a phone that cost €1 per text, which, needless to say, far exceeds the value of a couple of “LOLs,”or anything that can’t be communicated the old-fashioned way. That is to say, by actually talking. In Philadelphia, I was surrounded by a less text-savvy crowd, so it wasn’t until I came back to the Bay that I realized again how prominent texting culture has become.

Personally, I’ve never been a huge fan of texting. I’ll text someone when the subject matter is too short to warrant a phone call, but I’ve found that organizing plans or checking in is far more efficient with merely a phone call. But I acknowledge that how someone uses his or her phone is a personal choice, and they can do as they please with their cellular device. I just have noticed that amid the mobile takeover, some pretty basic human functions have seemingly been tossed out the window. In just the first week home, I’ve seen more instances of people blocking out the real world to be one with their phone than I have in the past nine months. On Tuesday, I witnessed a man walk into a stop sign that he failed to notice because he was sending out a (presumably) urgent text. You might think texting while walking sounds like a joke. TWW is anything but. Last Saturday, while picking up groceries, I happened to look inside a restaurant I was passing by, and saw a young couple sitting across from each other, looking down at their phones. I stopped and watched them for a few minutes, and throughout the duration of my time observing, they never once picked up their heads and gave each other any kind of recognition.

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