Communication Technology: Helpful or Irritating?

Here’s a question for teenagers: do you love communication technology, or do you hate it? I believe 90% will say they love it. But guess what? I hate it.

Yes, one of the most basic pros of communication technologies is the reason why we say we need to use it: it is a way of making life cheaper and easier. It helps you reach people faster, send pictures easily, call the cops during an emergency, etc. In other words, it makes life for you relaxed. But what if this “comfortableness” gets too comfortable?

I’ll start with two of my life's most common occurrences.

Number 1: My Cell.
It’s a great way for my friends and family to reach me, and for me to reach them. "Anytime, anywhere", as they say. This, to me, also means that at tennis practice, my phone is free ring every fifteen minutes. Apparently, it does do that a lot.

Then you might ask, “Why not turn your phone off?” Honey, with parents like mine - and I expect that many other people have them too - they expect your phone to be on 24/7 in case of emergency.

Besides, what if the guy you have a crush on finally calls?

Whatever you do, do not talk about Caller ID, it is already irritating enough to walk across the court, in the middle of practice, and go silent your calls, which will only ring again once it ends. Why not just pick up the phone and ask the caller to bug off? Right, but the point is, you've already walked across the court, annoying your coach if it's in the middle of a lesson, or else annoying your competitor in the middle of game.

If they get too annoyed, they'll ask you shut it down, and then you'll have to wish for the best of your luck and hope you don't meet an angry dad who has been trying to reach you all day. Keep in mind that it doesn't only apply to tennis, but anything, anywhere, anytime.

Number 2: MSN and e-mails.
I seriously love MSN. But I hate it when guys use it as a chance to “confess their undying love” to me online instead of face-to-face. I just simply have no idea if they’re joking or talking real. Before you say anything, webcams are out of bounds, not everyone is allowed to use them.

The other thing I hate about messaging is that instead of getting heat-felt letters on my birthday, all I get is messages saying “HBD” and a load of pre-made graphics. It’s still sweet, yes, and definitely better than getting nothing at all. But receiving that calligraphy on paper is receiving the time and effort the writer put in order to find a pen and paper, write the message, get stamps, and post it. To put it simply, you feel that they care because of the small effort they put into writing you a real letter, and to know that someone is out there, caring about you, will fill you with pleasure. Or at least more pleasure that “HBD. Wish u a happy b day” on MSN or e-mail, since to make those stuff takes a micro-small effort, just clicky, clicky. And it is worse when your e-mail shows up in text language.

So really, communication technology isn’t always the “comfortable and best” way of life. It could just as well be the most “irritating thing on the planet.”

To prove to you that I truly and seriously feel that way, I will give you a confession: I dumped my phone into the bin right after the hundredth call my Aunt gave me. Only my stupid friend saved it, and I had stuff there I didn’t want on the net.

Ask yourself; have your MSN notification ever gone off when you were sneaking and your mom noticed? Have your parents ever called you in the middle of a "great time" with your friends or partner? Have some loud, unexpected texting gone off while you were driving that you suddenly slam the breaks of the car?

It all has happened to me and my friends... Even to my dad.