Teens will resort to using email for "business" or to communicate with adults, but for the most part are abandoning email as their prefered method of connecting with friends.
Some claim email is "too slow" and others feel it's not effective in actually getting timely information into the hands of their friends or back from them. Parents are catching on, too. Many parents are finding texting a more reliable and efficient form of communication with their kids when they are away from them.
Many teens are abandoning voice mail for text messages, claiming that checking voice mail takes too much effort and time. Text messages, on the other hand, give quick information that is easy to respond to.
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The prevalence of texting has many educators concerned because not only do cell phones with texting capabilities create a distraction in many schools, but they also leave an open door for cheating.
Others are concerned the prevalence of texting may be leaving teenagers ill-equipped with the email and phone etiquette skills required in the marketplace.
Discussion Starters On average, how many texts do you send and receive in a day? Do you think there is such a thing as being too connected? Do you think texting, IMing and using Facebook or MySpace are equivalent replacements for face-to-face contact? What do you think the pros and cons are regarding texts instead of talking?
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