Text Generation Gap: U R 2 Old (JK)
New York Times
By Laura A. Holson
March 9, 2008
Parents across the nation are becoming increasingly isolated from their children through text messaging. It is becoming more popular for children to send single lines of text dialogue to their parents rather then answering the phone to take their call. Additionally texting at the family dinner table and during family activities has become quite common place in the American home. While some parents have tried to adopt texting into their parent-child relationship, they are still facing a language barrier. Texting with its own dialect and formalities is another challenge for non-tech savvy parents to overcome.
While in many cases the addition of new paths of communication has resulted in expanding the social network, texting has become a social phenomenon which removes people from their immediate social network. The social ramifications of introducing a new form of technology are nearly impossible to predict. Similar to the affects of adding new roadways to traffic patterns, text messaging has created an unforeseen jam in the family circle. Perhaps once the art and technology of texting is fully adopted by older generations then it will prove to enhance the channels of communication within the family network.
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