HOME | POLITICS | SPORTS | LIFE | SCI/TECH | OPEDS | HELPFUL TIPS
|
July 28, 2005 According to a survey by the non-profit Pew Internet and American Life Project, Internet users from 12 to 17 years of age say email is best for talking to parents or institutions, but they prefer to communicate via Instant Messaging (IM) when chatting with their friends. In other words, kids feel that e-mail is for old fogies, they'd much rather IM each other. This is not a great revelation, composing an e-mail requires some understanding of the English language. Kids don't want to deal with paragraphs, salutations and all that old fashioned stuff. They prefer to send an IM where they can express themselves more colloquially: How R U? I'm very : C ). When I was a youngster, if I wanted to place a call when I was away from home, I had to locate a pay phone, search my pockets for the correct change, and then dial (yes dial, not punch in) the number. Today in a second, a teenager can speed-dial his buddy using his cell phone. Today's young whippersnappers are used to instant gratification, they don't have the patience for old technology. It takes too long to write an e-mail, and an eternity to receive a reply. They prefer to communicate in real time, e-mail is for old goats who get their thrills by contemplating their full inbox. I sometimes long for the days of rotary phones and vinyl records, but I'm grateful to live in the era of cell phones and CDs. I've adapted to communicating via e-mail, but I don't think I will ever enjoy IM's or MP3 players. Sigh, I guess I'm an old fogey. ------------ About the author: Robert Paul Reyes is a columnist for the Lynchburg Ledger. Email: rreyes4966@aol.com Tell a friend about this site! ------------ All articles are EXCLUSIVE to Useless-Knowledge.com and are not allowed to be posted on other websites. ARTICLE THIEVES WILL BE PROSECUTED! |
||||||
|
|
|||||||
|
