Calling my grandmother
When I was a child, every Sunday we talked to my grandparents who lived hundreds of miles away and we were only able to see once every year or so. I do not remember if we called them or they called us but it was an event in our household. I remember having to recall what I had done or accomplished to share with them each week and it was good to actually have this time to reflect on my week and plan how to tell them of the important activities in my life. This week I have texted my 14 year old granddaughter and received instant info (as needed), spoken with my 10 year old grandson which was sweet and simple and Skyped with my 2 year old granddaughter who is hundreds of miles away!
What communication is lost and gained with the technology available?
|
Lost: |
Gained: |
| Excitement and Uniqueness | Instant and Frequent |
| Reflection and Preparation | Spontaneous and Unrehearsed |
| Spoken is Interpreted Once | Texted is Interpreted Forever |
| Maturation of conversation | Auto correct |
Here are some of the facts I have learned about our communication changes:
Talking to Teens
Children and Phones
Fully 72% of all teens — or 88% of teen cell phone users — send text messages, up from 51% of in 2006 and about 0% since 1996.
Have you ever been at a party and felt an awkward moment, so pulled out your cell phone and pretended to text, check an email, or chat?
You are not alone. A recent PEW study found that 13 percent of Americans admit to using their cell phones to prevent unwanted social interactions.
Hmm. Perhaps that’s why everyone’s always “texting” in the elevator. Does it mean our children will be awkward more or just deal with it different?
One of the most dramatic increases in the use of cell phones was from 10 to 11 year old range with over 80.5% owning a handset. The study goes on to discover that boys are gaining in number to have a phone over girls – it has increased 47.6% for boys since 2007 and only 17.2% for girls. As more wireless providers are offering services that are aimed at kids, such as the use of GPS tracking, there will continue to be a boom in the usage of mobile phones among children.
THERE ARE 300 MILLION VIDEO CALLS A DAY ON SKYPE –
YIKES!
How are you connecting with your grandchildren? Is it too much? Would you go back to the once a week updates? Not me – but I sure would love to hear the sweet sound of my grandmother’s soft giggle or my granddad’s knowing nod as I told of the important events of my week! Even Skype cannot bring that back.