When writing a comparison/contrast essay a lot of thought must go into it. Although I love writing (yes even essays) I did struggle with writing this essay. The first and probably the most ridiculous problem I had was finding a topic to compare and contrast. The easiest thing I could think of was to compare and contrast the use of cell phones and speaking in person. I had trouble next with my pre-writing. When I began this essay I was on a time crunch as I had other homework assignments to do. So instead of actually sitting down and creating an outline like I normally would, I just started with my thesis and continued writing from there. I found later on that my topic was extremely difficult to write on. I sat down and talked to a few of my friends about the problems they faced while texting. I implemented these problems and used it as the basis of my essay. After I wrote my first draft I went back and found several mistakes. The biggest mistake I kept finding was that I was not putting enough commas in my sentences. I revised this and my essay received a really good grade. Here is what I ended up with:
Trouble
in the Palm of the Hand
Cell phones, hand held devices and many more technological advancements have made communication almost too easy. With just a push of a few buttons, communication has taken off in a way some people have never imagined. It’s questionable, however if these advancements are still able to effective ways of communicating. Communicating face to face is significantly better than texting when conveying information, ideas and feelings to other people.
When trying to relay specific information, it is often hard to interpret the message when it is a text. This is usually because of the unseen non-verbal communication that adheres to conversations. Sarcasm and humor are hard to detect through texting because it is hard to write out he tone that they are displayed in. They physical aspect of each individual helps covey the message to its full potential. Body language and other forms of non-verbal communication really make a difference when communicating. For instance, if a gentleman makes a joke in person it is obvious; he is most likely laughing or smiling to produce emphasis on his joke. Through text the only way to ensure the other person knows the joke was indeed a joke is to state it. Furthermore, the context of a message isn’t always displayed adequately through text due to punctuation and grammar mistakes. Texting is an easy, quick way of communication and that often goes hand in hand with poor sentence structure skills. This makes it hard to interpret the full context of the message because texts are full of mistakes. Often the mistakes in texts only cause misunderstandings and frustration. Spoken words are easier to listen to and understand. To illustrate, a lecture happening over text or email, which can be full of mistakes, can lead to a student failing a test. If the lecture were in person, then there are less mistakes and this can help a student understand the material better. Overall interpreting information is much easier in person than over text.
In accordance to urgency, face to face conversation is much more effective than texting as well. Texting isn’t always as fast as we want it to be and can sometimes take up to days to get in a full conversation. Often people are too busy with work or school to have an extensive conversation through text. It takes time to stop, read a text, brainstorm and then write out a response to a text. In urgent situations it can almost be completely ineffective to text rather than to speak face to face. For example, if someone needed a doctor quickly, communication that in person would get that persona doctor much quicker than texting would have. Additionally, when speaking in person response time is immediate and clear, while texting a response can take hours or even days. If a student misses a test, explaining the situation in person will produce an outcome of more understanding and clearness. If the same message was sent by e-mail or text, the student might not know what to do to make up the missed test for a few days. Therefore In urgent conversations, communicating face to face is more beneficial than texting.
Lastly, emotions can be inappropriately displayed or interpreted through text. Emotions are so complex and fragile that it is quite difficult to express them through text. Misinterpretations are often guided by text and can cause distress and even anger the person reading the message. For example, if someone is trying to express sadness through text and the responder doesn’t understand it, nothing beneficial happens within the texting. Yet in person it is clear through facial expressions and diction to detect that this person is sad. Moreover, respecting the emotions of others if best shown in person. If two people are fighting through text it is very plausible that both sides will just continue to fight; if the fight were to happen in person, however, the situation could be easier to find and settle. When emotions are involved in conversations, it is best to display it in person.
Communication is a hard thing to grasp and often takes a lot of practice to perfect. Resorting to texting or other forms of electronic speech can often produce more trouble than it’s worth. Miscommunication and confusion can be avoided on a larger scale if conversations were to happen in person. In conclusion, adequately expressing information, ideas and emotions is much better face to face rather than through text.
Cell phones, hand held devices and many more technological advancements have made communication almost too easy. With just a push of a few buttons, communication has taken off in a way some people have never imagined. It’s questionable, however if these advancements are still able to effective ways of communicating. Communicating face to face is significantly better than texting when conveying information, ideas and feelings to other people.
When trying to relay specific information, it is often hard to interpret the message when it is a text. This is usually because of the unseen non-verbal communication that adheres to conversations. Sarcasm and humor are hard to detect through texting because it is hard to write out he tone that they are displayed in. They physical aspect of each individual helps covey the message to its full potential. Body language and other forms of non-verbal communication really make a difference when communicating. For instance, if a gentleman makes a joke in person it is obvious; he is most likely laughing or smiling to produce emphasis on his joke. Through text the only way to ensure the other person knows the joke was indeed a joke is to state it. Furthermore, the context of a message isn’t always displayed adequately through text due to punctuation and grammar mistakes. Texting is an easy, quick way of communication and that often goes hand in hand with poor sentence structure skills. This makes it hard to interpret the full context of the message because texts are full of mistakes. Often the mistakes in texts only cause misunderstandings and frustration. Spoken words are easier to listen to and understand. To illustrate, a lecture happening over text or email, which can be full of mistakes, can lead to a student failing a test. If the lecture were in person, then there are less mistakes and this can help a student understand the material better. Overall interpreting information is much easier in person than over text.
In accordance to urgency, face to face conversation is much more effective than texting as well. Texting isn’t always as fast as we want it to be and can sometimes take up to days to get in a full conversation. Often people are too busy with work or school to have an extensive conversation through text. It takes time to stop, read a text, brainstorm and then write out a response to a text. In urgent situations it can almost be completely ineffective to text rather than to speak face to face. For example, if someone needed a doctor quickly, communication that in person would get that persona doctor much quicker than texting would have. Additionally, when speaking in person response time is immediate and clear, while texting a response can take hours or even days. If a student misses a test, explaining the situation in person will produce an outcome of more understanding and clearness. If the same message was sent by e-mail or text, the student might not know what to do to make up the missed test for a few days. Therefore In urgent conversations, communicating face to face is more beneficial than texting.
Lastly, emotions can be inappropriately displayed or interpreted through text. Emotions are so complex and fragile that it is quite difficult to express them through text. Misinterpretations are often guided by text and can cause distress and even anger the person reading the message. For example, if someone is trying to express sadness through text and the responder doesn’t understand it, nothing beneficial happens within the texting. Yet in person it is clear through facial expressions and diction to detect that this person is sad. Moreover, respecting the emotions of others if best shown in person. If two people are fighting through text it is very plausible that both sides will just continue to fight; if the fight were to happen in person, however, the situation could be easier to find and settle. When emotions are involved in conversations, it is best to display it in person.
Communication is a hard thing to grasp and often takes a lot of practice to perfect. Resorting to texting or other forms of electronic speech can often produce more trouble than it’s worth. Miscommunication and confusion can be avoided on a larger scale if conversations were to happen in person. In conclusion, adequately expressing information, ideas and emotions is much better face to face rather than through text.