Third of U.S. teens with phones text 100 times a day

I have a cell phone and I am sure you do too. My wife and I were among the first people in the U.S. to carry a bag phone in our cars. I well remember that 7 pound monster with it's 5 watt output. Everyone who learned we had one wanted to see it. Man have time ever changed. In those days we used our phone only for outgoing calls and reserved those for car trouble. Now my phone travels everywhere I am, usually attached to my side. Good thing they reduced the size. These days phones are actually mini computers. You can surf the web, complete projects and send messages to virtually anyone in the world. In a pinch it'll even make an actual call.

One application that I truly think was a game changer is when phones were enabled to send short text messages. That at least frees us from having to commit to conversation, saving time so we can play with the on board or online games. I say that somewhat as a joke, but truly texting has become a way of life, especially for kids and teens.

I read a recent study that said around one in three U.S. teenagers now send more than 100 texts a day. ONE HUNDRED messages a day. That is crazy. They have even developed a sort of second language, a shorthand if you will to save time and space in messages.

Three weeks ago I was trying to fill a position within our office. We received a stack of resumes, some very qualified and many not so much. Among the stack was a cover letter from one job seeker that was filled with misspellings and apparently text message shorthand. Teenage texting slang in a cover letter? Really did they think that was correct? Needless to say, that didn't cut it, and that candidate was rejected. How unprofessional. What image were they trying to convey?

Anyway like it or not texting is replacing language, and seriously face- to- face conversation is a historic relic. It's a shame.

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