TOW #11-Teen texting

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/katie-d-anderson/teen-texting-the-ruin-of-romance_b_3763576.html

      This article by Katie D. Anderson describes how the incessant texting between teens has a negative effect upon teenage relationships. Anderson tells of how, since both parties are constantly in communication with one another and knows precisely what the other is doing, there is no excitement, longing, or surprises left in relationships. She says, "This needless incessant phone-to-phone contact is ruining relationships and not just romantic ones." When teens are engrossed in texting their friends/partners, they tend to shut out family members. The relationship between friends also becomes increasingly more remote, carried out exclusively through text, with hardly any more face-to-face conversation and bonding.
      In this article, Anderson uses personal anecdotes and direct address to her audience in order to show the negative effects of incessant teen texting, and urge people to put down their phones for a while and initiate human contact/sociality.
      Throughtout the text, Anderson uses the anecdote of her own daughter and her daughter's boyfriend to illustrate the perils of endless teen texting. She uses addresses the advice she gives her daughter to the rest of her audience, namely, to stop texting for a while and give the other person space so he/she can begin to miss you and rekindle longing for your company. She tells her daughter, 'Think about it. You're TOO available. He doesn't have time to miss you or wonder what you're doing or wish he could be with you because he already IS with you. You live in his pocket for Pete's sake. This constant texting has burned out the relationship. Killed the allure. Why would he want to come to your house and watch a movie or hang out after school when he feels like he's 'with you' all the time?' This illustrates how the endless texting between the two has left no room for imagination or longing, and it can be inferred that if you put your phone down for a while, your partner will begin to appreciate how much he/she enjoys your company.
      Anderson also addresses her audience directly, in attempt to get through to them more. She says, "Wake up, people," to emphasize that she is speaking directly to those reading her article, and encouraging them to "wake up" from the daze of anti-sociality that text-only communication creates. She also addresses the following questions to her audience: "Our children need a break. But what should we do? And how do we convince them of the dangers of something that has become so central to their existence?" These questions are meant to make the audience, especially parents reading this article, realize that something needs to be done about the teen infatuation with text messaging. When all you do is text, you begin to shun direct human contact and interaction in favor of electronic means.
      I believe that Anderson effectively accomplished her purpose, and the use of personal anecdotes was a nice touch in making her point(s) relatable to real-life situations.