An Open Letter To Obnoxious Texters

September 12, 2009 1:00 pm     Posted in Reality  Erica- University of Michigan g+ page

habits-female-texting-400a062507.jpgDear Obnoxious Phone Users of the World:


By Erica

While I will never deny that my cell phone has allowed me the opportunity to amuse myself during a boring class, I understand that there is a time and a place for texting.  Please learn when it is appropriate to have a relationship solely with your keyboard.  In case you need some help, I have given some strict guidelines below.  Adhere to them or you will end up friendless. For real.

During a Broadway show: Whoever says that the little light from a cell phone in a darkened theater is not distracting to other people around them is LYING. Broadway tickets cost over $100, and it is never okay to distract an audience from someone’s beautiful voice with your clicky texting sounds. Furthermore, in small theaters the actors can see you texting. You can’t get much ruder than that.

During a movie: While significantly less expensive than most live theater, the continuous “click click click” sound and the cell phone light make me want to take my $12 Diet Coke and dump it all over you.

As an excuse not to call: While a couple of text messages are always appreciated, they do not replace a conversation. If you have a story to tell, don’t text it; pick up the phone and call.  It’s not that loving texts and cute stories are not appreciated, but it shows a lot more effort and care to have a ten minute phone conversation than to exchange 30 texts and have everyone around cringe at the endless vibrations.

Repeatedly during dinner: Maybe it is just that my mother forbade me from text messaging during the first two years of my cell phone’s existence, but I don’t think that when you are sitting down to a meal you should be staring down at your lap at your phone.  Are family dinners no longer sacred?

When you are with other people:  This is even truer when it is just you and one or two friends hanging out and you can’t just disappear in a corner for a little while. The best thing to do is to shoot of one text saying “With friends, ttyl,” so that your electronic friend knows you are not ignoring them but doesn’t suddenly expect you to sit there texting the whole night.

People always tell me that it’s rude to not answering text messages, but if something is really important, then it should be spoken, not communicated in a way that requires emoticons.  Please adhere to these rules so that we can all live in a world where face-to-face communication in still valued.

Thank you.

8 Comments on "An Open Letter To Obnoxious Texters"

  1. erin says:
    Sat, 12th Sep 20098:33 am 

    I would have to say during class, maybe i"m a stuck up bitch because I don't text because I just don't feel like it's that important, but doing that during class is very distracting. I know you hate the class or the teacher but please stop doing it, it's completely disrespectful. It's not like doodling or even pretending to take notes on your laptop and IMing people. You feel the need to take your phone on and text under your desk or blatantly infront of the teacher, who understands you might not want to be there, but teaching to a fucking ingrate is difficult. I will look at your text as you type and I might feel the need to elbow you in your breast or phone because your also being rude.

  2. Ken Kendall says:
    Sat, 12th Sep 20099:36 am 

    There was a time that men were the only culprits of abusing technology. That has changed with the advent of cell phones and texting.

    Men and woman alike have taken this to a very disturbing level. It seems that everyone I know spends all their time doing this. I never ceases to amaze me how I can be with someone in person and they are so distracted by the conversations they are texting that it hardly seems they are present at all.

    I'm glad you brought this up. I am really trying so hard on my blog to help men show the women they love how important they are. I will be adding a post about this now that you have reminded me of its destruction.

    Check out the blog. http://whatsheneedsfromyou.wordpress.com

    Thanks for the insight.

  3. Hannah says:
    Sat, 12th Sep 200910:38 am 

    I agree so much with the last one! Its so annoying when people sit there and text while your hanging out with them. Just send them a text saying your busy, its not that hard.

  4. erin says:
    Sat, 12th Sep 200910:58 am 

    I totally forgot about the terror of the texting zombie. You go out with a friend or are just talking with them, but they won't stop texting and as you talk to them they give you the look like there is not much thought going on, because they are more busy texting.

  5. Vicki says:
    Sun, 13th Sep 200912:08 pm 

    Yesterday I went to see at musical at one of the smaller theaters here at school, and they actually had to SAY, "Please don't text during the performance." The fact that something like that even has to be stated is just ridiculous! What has happened to common courtesy?

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    Sat, 11th Feb 20126:02 pm 

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