Texting Danger – Finding a Balance

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Today’s Blog Post

Texting Danger – Finding a Balance

Yesterday as I was going out the door my Cell Phone gave a weird little beep after I turned it on. I looked down and I had a Text Message from the Molson Company. Molson, if you are Canadian, is the big beer company… and all powerful sports interest and advertising group.

The message was a Happy New Year – Best Wishes – etc from the Molson Company.

I do not drink beer nor have I bought any beer for over 42 years – in fact I hate beer if it needs to be known.

Why and how did Text me? I don’t really know if I have a Texing Number? I guess I do because my little phone brought a message to me. I think it is just my telephone number – which I never give out to anyone now.

So they must have been doing kind of computer generated dialing and sent the message that way.

Well – TEXTING is dangerous! There is proof this morning from the Winnipeg CTV report that I read. Three men are in the hospital and two people have been charged with assault – all because of Text Messages to someone’s cell phone.

Can you believe it???! How dumb can some people be? What could someone possibly type into their cell phone that would stir that much hatred? I can hardly believe it is possible.

I can only imagine what might be punched into the tiny keyboard on the Cell Phone.

Yet threats and rumours are all part of today’s society – as much as they were in my day.

In one of my class rooms in high school there was a bully that we all tried to shy away from. Come to think of it there were also bullies in the public school too (grade 1 to 8).

Way back then the rumour was spread quickly without a small keyboard… “There is going to be a fight at 4 PM out back of the school… Todd is going to clean Gerry’s clock… don’t miss it!”

“What happened? Why is it happening? What did Gerry do?” was the question that followed.

“Gerry has been messing around with Todd’s girl Natalie” was the reply.

As school finished for the day there was excitement in the hallway… students poured out the doors – some yelling “Fight! Fight! Fight!” and we all poured toward the back of the school. I remember standing at a distance from the crowd and watching it close in a bit tighter. Then as I moved away toward the sidewalk going home… I heard the distinct sound of a struggle and people cheering.

I couldn’t understand why two guys would fight over a girl. It didn’t make sense. There were lots of girls – just find another NEW friend. But then I was too young to know what a heart break some of the relationships would later be.

It just seemed dumb at the time.

Texting is new but Fighting isn’t. The guys in Winnipeg that got into this scuffle were definitely a little immature – even though they were 25 to 27 years old.

The most serious Threats that are made in Schools today are the kind that involve Guns and possibly Bombs. I have heard the news as teachers and police have to react to them… shutting schools down for the safety of everyone.

But the threats are also real.

One quote I offer is the following from schoolsecruity.org… quote…
"We are now dealing with 'Generation Text'," said Ken Trump, President of National School Safety and Security Services. "The rumors typically become greater than the issue, problem, or incident itself. Rumors fly in minutes, not hours, attendance can drop dramatically overnight and some school officials seem increasingly quick to shut down schools," he noted. – end quote.

Some words that were scribbled on a bathroom wall back in my day are now quickly sent via Texting… and then passed from one to another as fast as lightening.

This is a whole new era.

Back in the old days there was time before the end of the school day to see the threat evaporate and no fight take place… or the couple would simply get things right… and Todd would find out that Gerry hadn’t even talked to Natalie.

Today Texting makes it true and a rumor becomes absolute fact – because my friend sent it.

In Pastoral Work I witnessed how fast some of the Rumors could destroy people’s reputation. In our city we have some great evidence of that happening locally. Some ‘Seniors’ just gossip – not Texting here!

Now add the fact that Texting can be so immediate and do such damage so quickly – this is a potential threat like no other. Relationships can be made or broken with some simple actions of a person’s thumbs.

In Winnipeg the fight was all because of a Text Message sent… perceived as a threat and then action followed because of perception.

I am studying this whole new societal phenomena in a new light.

A Link below with the Talk about ‘TED’ and how the Cell Phone is now being used to report what is happening in real time during a country’s violent outbreak, like Kenya post election violence and Mumbai, India and the Terrorist attacks.

Five words and actions show up..in 3 hours time span…
Outbreak
Confused
Recovering
Stable
Return

And it was all recorded using the Cell Phone Texting.

They get into ‘Crowdsource’ Information… leading to Information Overload… and the need to see what is true and not true… valid and not valid.

This idea of Texting becoming a part of our society and maybe even effecting change… is real.

Now switch to my more familiar world… the Church… and the Church World. I have been in meetings where the Leader that was conducting the meeting was actually Texting someone while we shared our ideas and suggestions. I have witnessed people in church passing text messages to each other… then snorting with the reply… I am pretty sure it was a reaction to what the Pastor just said…

Even Church has and is feeling the effect.

Wouldn’t it be funny if God sent me a Text Message… Beep…

My world is changing very fast. I need a balance with what is happening. Oh boy!

~ Murray Lincoln ~
http://www.murraylincoln.com/

Source:
http://winnipeg.ctv.ca/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20100101/wpg_stabbing_newyear_010110/20100102/?hub=WinnipegHome
http://www.ted.com/talks/erik_hersman_on_reporting_crisis_via_texting.html

http://www.schoolsecurity.org/trends/threats.html