Teens txt and IM even fstr than B4 in contest
Being all thumbs is the norm for teens and tweens.
As they choose instant messaging and text messaging as their preferred form of communication, the youth of America is definitely putting its digits into the digital age.
At Schaumburg's Woodfield Mall Sunday, several of them showed up from as far away as Oak Lawn to take part in a contest promoting a device called a Zipit Wireless Instant Messenger 2.
It's as small as a cosmetics case and, when popped open, looks like a mini laptop, with the same keyboard and screen design. It sells for around $50 and works with existing AOL, Yahoo! and MSN IM accounts, streams Internet radio, and stores MP3 and jpeg files.
Sunday's contest awarded prizes like Jonas Brothers tickets to the teens who could text the fastest.
Asked how many minutes out of each hour she spends texting, contestant Renee Pedigo, 14, of Oak Park, estimated it can be as high as 30. "It depends if I'm eating or not," she said.
Contestant Rubi Jeffries, 13, of Oak Park, said she once sent a text message in a movie theater to a person sitting next to her, after she was told not to talk so loud.
Sarah Martinec, 18, of Brookfield, who was also competing, said she has sent text messages during dinner, while in class, while walking, while driving, and while in bed about to fall asleep.
"I don't think it's an addiction," she said. "I just think the people you're texting text a lot as well. You're so used to it that that's the only way you'll communicate with them."
There is a generation gap when it comes to texting. Jeffries' father, Anthony, said he only sends text messages to answer his daughter, who chimed in, "You text pretty fast now, Dad."
Anthony Jeffries said he is concerned about the impact of abbreviations in messages, such as the word "before," which is shortened to B4.
"They're not using English, the real standard English," he said.
Companies like Zipit Wireless are trying to address some of the problems associated with texting, which include cyberbullying and physical safety.
Robin Kowalski, a professor of psychology at Clemson University, has written extensively on the subject of cyberbullying and worked as a consultant for Zipit Wireless.
Kowalski said parents who are given handouts with typical abbreviations often fail to understand what they mean.
"But if you give it to students, they know what every single one of these things mean," she said. "This is the language kids are communicating. It's important that parents understand the lingo."
Kowalski said the most frequent instances of cyberbullying occur in instant messaging, since that is by far the most popular messaging venue.
John Moore, vice president of marketing with Zipit Wireless Inc., said his product actually prevents messages from strangers, since you can only communicate on the device with you're existing buddy list.
"You have to have added them as a buddy directly. They can't be phishing for you. You can't get viruses. You can't go to Web sites you shouldn't go to, etc.," he said.
Cyberbullying is a real threat, Kowalski said, leading to cases where children have committed suicide. The data indicates that cyberbullying affects girls more than boys, at a 2-to-1 ratio, she said.
Text and instant messaging can also pose safety risks. Kowalski witnessed an accident last year in which a Clemson student walked in front of a bus, resulting in the loss of a foot.
The challenge is to get texters to observe the rules of online etiquette or "Netiquette." For instance, you shouldn't text while driving and you shouldn't send a message with all capital letters, since it conveys the message that you're angry.
"The problem with the Internet and text messaging is you don't have any way of reading the emotion of the victim or the perpetrators," Kowalski said.
She added that maintaining your online reputation is important. As social networking sites have shown, you can risk losing a job over what you have posted.