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[Article] Article: brain to world: what form of communication is texting?
- Thread starter Thorn Bird
- Start date
fly note: Time for our resident forum mom to drop some serious, stream of consciousness, philosophical questions on us. Texting. Now lets begin.
i wonder:
when choosing which way to expel one’s thoughts, does it matter what method one chooses?
it seems, to me, it does.
writing: sometimes I can pick up a pen (or computer) and just let my head connect with my digits and they dance around and make rhythmic connections that work well…poetry, articles, or simply successfully capturing what’s going on in my head. usually I walk away from one of my writing “fits” pretty happy and relieved. successful fishing.
speaking: sometimes, and dare I say this is true for most people, talking aloud, and to someone else, is the only way to successfully process stuff. once spoken, words and thoughts sometimes take on a different meaning. they are given LIFE, which sometimes strengthens it or sometimes weakens it (how many times have you said something to someone and realized you sound like an idiot, or that what you’re thinking isn’t really – insert adjective here – after all?) one cannot unring a bell. this is often the way I feel about speaking aloud my thoughts – also known as thinking before you speak!
what is interesting to me (which is why I’ve sat down to TYPE) is that sometimes, when a thought is throwing a fit to be released from my brain, sometimes I choose writing (of some form), and sometimes I choose speech. I realized this just today, and I’m not sure I know WHAT determines the way I choose what I do.
sometimes the thought of prepping to write isn’t fast enough…I can’t get to it fast enough, or I can’t move my hand fast enough to capture what the brain is rolling out. it’s like being sick and vomiting…when it’s gonna happen, by god, it happens. there is no waiting! I call this my verbal vomit. (sometimes, “vomit” is more fitting than I’d like to admit!)
sometimes, I pick up the phone or talk to the person I’m with at the moment. I call these souls “victims.” the poor dears. often, after verbally vomiting aloud, they just nod along or throw out a “hmm,” and proceed to change the subject. some just throw me my meds and a bottle of water.
but what’s the most interesting thing is sometimes I reach for my iphone to text someone. and this is where I am thinking my brain isn’t processing in either a writing or a speaking fashion. IT SEEMS TO THINK IT’S BOTH.
so why is this? is texting, indeed, a new form of communication? I’m not sure I am comfortable going THAT far, but is my brain really…accurate with this thought? what method of communication IS texting? it’s most definitely writing, as we select characters and string them together in an appropriate manner so they will be interpreted by others who are familiar with said string of characters.
but it’s instant, and you’re sending the message to another person – like speech is good for. I reach for my PHONE to instantly inform someone of what I want to SAY…I just don’t have to SPEAK to do so. does this change the way our brains want to regurgitate thoughts?
it seems my fingers move very quickly on any given keyboard…which is very nice when a slew of thoughts comes rushing at me and I feel writing with a pen, most unfortunately, just isn’t as fast as typing is gonna be. or as legible as typing most certainly is.
but the fact that I’m choosing to use a tool that is going to promptly relate to another seems to make my brain think that I’m speaking to another.
and let’s not forget the voice-to-memo recorders we have these days. I can push a button, speak, and (I’m convinced there’s a tiny little gnome inside my phone who runs around and does all the stuff I tell it to do, since I cannot yet fathom my phone is, indeed, smart) something makes words appear in written form. SO WHAT IS THAT??
I don’t have answers to this yet, unfortunately. I’m wondering seriously if anyone does. I have yet to make it to the beloved search engine to begin yet another quest that might quench my curiosity, but I’m sure I haven’t yet come across anything in my browsings which would lead me to this thought…for it seems like a brand-new one to me.
what’s interesting to me is that I was first able to process it by texting my boyfriend…and now I’ve come to process on a word document…perhaps I should speak this aloud to someone before I think it fit to ask in the first place?
i wonder:
when choosing which way to expel one’s thoughts, does it matter what method one chooses?
it seems, to me, it does.
writing: sometimes I can pick up a pen (or computer) and just let my head connect with my digits and they dance around and make rhythmic connections that work well…poetry, articles, or simply successfully capturing what’s going on in my head. usually I walk away from one of my writing “fits” pretty happy and relieved. successful fishing.
speaking: sometimes, and dare I say this is true for most people, talking aloud, and to someone else, is the only way to successfully process stuff. once spoken, words and thoughts sometimes take on a different meaning. they are given LIFE, which sometimes strengthens it or sometimes weakens it (how many times have you said something to someone and realized you sound like an idiot, or that what you’re thinking isn’t really – insert adjective here – after all?) one cannot unring a bell. this is often the way I feel about speaking aloud my thoughts – also known as thinking before you speak!
what is interesting to me (which is why I’ve sat down to TYPE) is that sometimes, when a thought is throwing a fit to be released from my brain, sometimes I choose writing (of some form), and sometimes I choose speech. I realized this just today, and I’m not sure I know WHAT determines the way I choose what I do.
sometimes the thought of prepping to write isn’t fast enough…I can’t get to it fast enough, or I can’t move my hand fast enough to capture what the brain is rolling out. it’s like being sick and vomiting…when it’s gonna happen, by god, it happens. there is no waiting! I call this my verbal vomit. (sometimes, “vomit” is more fitting than I’d like to admit!)
sometimes, I pick up the phone or talk to the person I’m with at the moment. I call these souls “victims.” the poor dears. often, after verbally vomiting aloud, they just nod along or throw out a “hmm,” and proceed to change the subject. some just throw me my meds and a bottle of water.
but what’s the most interesting thing is sometimes I reach for my iphone to text someone. and this is where I am thinking my brain isn’t processing in either a writing or a speaking fashion. IT SEEMS TO THINK IT’S BOTH.
so why is this? is texting, indeed, a new form of communication? I’m not sure I am comfortable going THAT far, but is my brain really…accurate with this thought? what method of communication IS texting? it’s most definitely writing, as we select characters and string them together in an appropriate manner so they will be interpreted by others who are familiar with said string of characters.
but it’s instant, and you’re sending the message to another person – like speech is good for. I reach for my PHONE to instantly inform someone of what I want to SAY…I just don’t have to SPEAK to do so. does this change the way our brains want to regurgitate thoughts?
it seems my fingers move very quickly on any given keyboard…which is very nice when a slew of thoughts comes rushing at me and I feel writing with a pen, most unfortunately, just isn’t as fast as typing is gonna be. or as legible as typing most certainly is.
but the fact that I’m choosing to use a tool that is going to promptly relate to another seems to make my brain think that I’m speaking to another.
and let’s not forget the voice-to-memo recorders we have these days. I can push a button, speak, and (I’m convinced there’s a tiny little gnome inside my phone who runs around and does all the stuff I tell it to do, since I cannot yet fathom my phone is, indeed, smart) something makes words appear in written form. SO WHAT IS THAT??
I don’t have answers to this yet, unfortunately. I’m wondering seriously if anyone does. I have yet to make it to the beloved search engine to begin yet another quest that might quench my curiosity, but I’m sure I haven’t yet come across anything in my browsings which would lead me to this thought…for it seems like a brand-new one to me.
what’s interesting to me is that I was first able to process it by texting my boyfriend…and now I’ve come to process on a word document…perhaps I should speak this aloud to someone before I think it fit to ask in the first place?
Syrup Beaver
pants log
Dory Berkowitz-Bukowski
Clam whisperer
I see no problem with this. Yes I'm anti social, I like my space, I feel like someone calling me is virtually knocking on my door and demanding to be let in my house when I'm having quiet time, texting to me is a much better medium. I can read it, reply when I'm in the mood and there's no pressure.
The deal is that the communication isn't important enough to bother someone RIGHT NOW. The receiver can consume the message at will.
I have almost stopped answering my phone all together. Only answer it when Zac or family calls. Everyone else goes to a VM that I rarely check.
Voice communication is too interruptive. Either talk in person or over text. Please and thanks.
Voice communication is too interruptive. Either talk in person or over text. Please and thanks.
Mean Mr. Mustard
Always shouts out something obscene
Syrup Beaver
pants log
Letters go into a pile, voicemails get forgotten, emails get trampled over, IM got shut off, texts usually get answered.