BLOG 19

Introduction and Literacy Review

Introduction

In the times we live in today we are so reliable on our cell phone as a means of connection to the outside world. Especially when it comes to text messaging, whether it is our family or friends, we always seem to be glued to our phones. With this being said I am going to explore the effects texting has on relationships, this involving family and friends, and even personal relationships.  I will discuss the negative and positive aspects of text messaging and also include other research that I have found important in regards to my subject matter. I hope to engage my subject to entertain my questions to the fullest extent that can be made, in hopes of revealing the information I need to gather to answer my questions. With the research I am conducting I hope to find what is lost in translation through texting.

Literature Review

In “Generation Txt? The sociolinguistics of young people’s text-messaging” ( Thurlow & Brown revised), one of my sources for this research project, they discuss something that I found to be quite interesting.  “Initially intended for purely commercial purposes, text-messaging is in fact yet another example of how the human need for social intercourse- a kind of ‘communication imperative’ – bends and ultimately co-opts technology to suit its own ends”. This going to show the need for text message to be used as a connection to the human race from one person to another, text messaging is a somewhat easy way to talk to someone in a quick and shorten matter, or to even avoid any type of interaction or confrontation.

  
    

“Language is always multifunctional and always dependent on context for its meaning. As such, it was not always possible to be certain of the meaning of some participants’ messages and even less so the communicative intent with which they were sent” ( Thurlow & Brown). Going along with this idea, text messaging certainly loses its meaning in translation, while you can be sending a particular text with a certain point in mind, the person on the other end may take this message in a completely different way. This is a large part of my research and what I hope to gain more knowledge of through the subject I am interviewing.