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Sarah Wells
ENC 1101
Prof. McGriff
01 November 2016
Dangers of Electronic Communication
How many times a day do you check your phone or your Facebook account? Certain
technology such as texting and social media have been damaging to todays society. Not only can
it be considered an addiction, it has also changed the way people think and act around others.
The argument of the dangers of electronic communication and if it really is a danger, have
recently started to become a growing concern. On the argument if texting and social media is
actually declining communication skills, I believe it is, for it is damaging the English language,
decreasing face to face interactions and effecting peoples social skills.
One of the main arguments on technology is if it is actually damaging the English
language or enlarging it. In Pinkers argument he states If electronic media were hazardous to
intelligence, the quality of science would be plummeting. Yet discoveries are multiplying like
fruit flies, and progress is dizzying (1030). In this quote Pinker is arguing that electronics is
actually helping intelligence expand allowing more discoveries to be made. Electronics are
helping discoveries come faster, because computers allow a faster process to find information
without wasting hours searching through books. In this case it may be helping to form
discoveries faster, but is it actually helping the English language enlarge? On the other hand, Ray
Williams states They argue that the use of these shortcuts may actually hinder a persons ability
to switch between techspeak and the normal rules of grammar (FOCROFLOL). Williams is

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referring to how people tend to use more acronyms in their texts then spelling out the whole
word in order to send a text off faster. Many people begin to get used to abbreviations and
acronyms and using them so often they tend to not pay attention when they need to actually write
out complete sentences, for example when writing an essay. In the old saying practice makes
perfect, I believe this is true, for when you practice writing with acronyms and incomplete
sentences, you begin to forget proper grammar and how to use punctuations properly.
Another argument is on the decreasing of face to face interactions. Instead of talking to
people on the phone and being able to better understand what people are trying to say, most
people prefer to have an entire conversation through text. Sometimes this can cause arguments,
because when talking through text messaging you cannot always understand how someone is
trying to say something, and it can come across in a rude manner. Graff and Birkenstein argue
On the other hand, some praise the web for its ability to bring people from distant places
together who otherwise would remain strangers, enabling them to interact more easily with
others through such mediums as emails, blogs, videochat, and social networking sites (169).
The internet has helped many people from distant places meet, or even stay in touch when they
cannot see each other as much as they might like. Along with communication through social
media also brings on another problem, such as cyber bullying. People have more of a tendency to
not think about what they are saying or reread what they wrote before quickly hitting send and it
is too late to retract what was said.
A third issue is the effects of technology on peoples social skills. Due to technology
people are having less interactions with the people around them. When you walk into a room
almost everyone has their head down and looking through their phones. This is making it harder
for people to make new friends and gain the ability to talk to new people around them, because

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everyone is busy on their technology then to have an actual face to face conversation. When
having conversations with people in person this can improve social skills because you are more
willing to listen to what other people have to say and can form better relationships in the long
run. Pinker states The solution is not to bemoan technology but to develop strategies of selfcontrol, as we do with every other temptation in life (1031). Pinker is saying that we should not
say technology is the root of all evil, but to know when to use it and when not to. I agree with
this statement, as I believe technology has its many advantages and we should know when not to
use them, such as when youre eating with another person or spending time with your loved
ones.
Technology has many advantages and disadvantages. It has helped many people advance
in discoveries as well as keeping in touch with distant friends. It has also damaged the English
language as well as decreasing face to face interactions and social skills. I believe it is not all
about how bad technology is, but more about how to control the damaging it is doing and how to
decrease the damage. The main debate should not be on if technology is declining
communication skills, but how can we gain self-control on when to use technology and if that
help these issues.

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Word Cited Page

Graff, Gerald and Birkenstein, Cathy. Is Digital Communication Good or Bador Both? They
Say I Say. Ed. Gerald Graff and Cathy Birkenstein. New York: W.W. Norton and
Company, 2014. 167-171. Print.
Pinker, Steven. Mind over Mass Media. Everyones An Author With Readings. Ed. Marilyn
Moller. New York: W.W. Norton and Company, 2017. 1029-1031. Print.
Williams, Ray. FOCROFLOL: Is Texting Damaging Our Language Skills? Psychology Today.
28 July 2012. Web. 25 Oct. 2016.