What are the Disadvantages of Texting?

On December 3rd, 1992, texting began rising as the primary form of communication among cell phone users. Fast forward three decades, and now we’re predominantly texting through various apps like WhatsApp, Telegram, and other instant messaging platforms.

However, as widely used as it is, texting comes with a hefty list of disadvantages that make it a sometimes problematic means of communication.

We’re going to break down some of the disadvantages of texting.

Let’s get started!

Socially Disruptive

Messaging is having a conversation, which means we’re pulled away from important tasks and work that needs to be done. It’s incredibly easy to become engrossed in a conversation, and before you know it, your day is gone. Even if you’re trying to ignore messages, the constant flash, buzzing, or notification tone can be incredibly annoying and distracting to even the most disciplined person.

Expectations of ‘Instant Messaging’

The technology that allows messages to be sent in mere seconds, anywhere in the world, is a technological marvel. However, it’s also given us false expectations about response times. Some people take a long time to respond to a message, and others reply in seconds. Take a guess which one we assume is the necessary procedure? It’s the instant reply that we always believe is required of the recipients of our messages. In truth, people are busy, which often means delayed responses.

A Hotbed for Misinterpretation

Humans are prone to human error. When it comes to texting, that error can be a case of misinterpretation of the tone and intent of a message. We’re all guilty of it, but it’s essential to acknowledge the facts. How we all text differs from person to person. Some like the long-winded messages and some are shorter and to the point. We can often take various words and formats negatively, causing tension in the conversation. No matter what you do, a conversation via text will never be as clear-cut as a face-to-face conversation or one done via a phone call.

Impersonal

This shouldn't surprise you in the slightest. Obviously, texting will be an overall less personal approach to communication. You’re communicating through screens, with now showcase of genuine emotion or real connection. Unfortunately, it’s easy to falsify who a person is based on text messages. You must realise this so that you can approach relationships based on text messages with a bit more knowledge.

Addictive Qualities

Never let anyone tell you that an activity like texting isn’t addictive. Anything has the power to become an addiction. We’re seeing it now, with younger generations glued to their phones all the time, no matter where they are. This is true for texting as well. Wanting to be connected and plugged in 24/7 means missing out on the crucial details in your reality surrounding you. It’s an unfortunate side effect that claims millions each year. It seems almost innocent at first, but eventually, you realise there’s a difference in how you operate as a person. You sleep less, your personal engagement declines, and you find your relationships exist online and rely on the device to survive.

Safety Concerns

We like to assume that people will be smart when using any form of technology. Still, the truth is that for every 100 people that do the right thing, there’s somebody putting everyone at risk. The obvious safety concern to start off with is privacy, which is always under threat. However, the most common issue with texting is that people do it while doing activities that require more attention, such as driving. Texting and driving has long been an issue that’s claimed many lives and still does. Even though we know it’s wrong, and there are laws backing that up, people still do it, and many pay the price.

Potential Erosion of Language Skills

Texting brought about text slang, and this has been a major disadvantage of texting, with the victim being language itself. Replacing words with acronyms or shorter versions means we’re neglecting the language we’re shortening. The slang eventually creeps up into all facets of our language abilities, which is problematic in academic and professional environments.

Group Texts

Let’s all just admit we hate group texts. They’re frustrating, often pointless, and just plain annoying. Multiple notifications going off, seconds apart, and usually notifying you of meaningless things. They seem like such a great idea on the surface, but quickly they can turn into a cause of massive frustration.

Issues With Sleeping

Sleeping issues are exceptionally common in children and teens who have access to cell phones. Right now, there’s a phenomenon called ‘sleep texting,’ which has been labelled a sleeping disorder that is growing in dominance. Essentially, ‘sleep texting’ is when a user who’s fallen asleep still sends messages leading to inconsistent sleeping patterns and an overall lack of sleep.

Cost

In all honesty, texting isn’t the most expensive thing you can do in the world. However, it’s not without its costs. If your data plan isn’t good enough, you’ll find you are constantly buying more just to keep up with the media items being sent on a daily basis. Remember, younger generations have a preference for memes, gifs, stickers, emojis, and more, which results in higher data fees for the user.

Limitations

Text messages are great, and they make communicating more effective and far easier. However, we’d be remiss if we didn’t mention the limitations they hold. The design of messaging, in general, is to be concise, quick, and to the point. Which means they’re not as effective as we’d like for emotionally charged messages and situations. We can never truly express our anger, rage, frustration, confusion, sadness, or any emotion as effectively through text as we’d be able to through face-to-face communication.

The Bottom Line

In conclusion, we have to acknowledge that while texting has brought a lot of good to our world, it’s not without its issues. Communication is difficult, but text messages can cause lasting damage to friends, families, and romantic relationships thanks to miscommunication, safety concerns, and so much more.