Daily Herald | Teens txt and IM even fstr than B4 in contest
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`Zipit Wireless account coordinator Sara
`Heighway talks to 14-year-old Mohamad
`Hassan of Burr Ridge about the Zipit
`Wireless Instant Messenger 2 at
`Woodfield Mall in Schaumburg Sunday.
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`Teens txt and IM even fstr than B4 in contest
`
`By Steve Zalusky | Daily Herald Staff
`
`(10) | read | post
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`Contact writer
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`Published: 6/23/2008 12:17 AM
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`
`
`
`Being all thumbs is the norm for teens
`and tweens.
`As they choose instant messaging and
`text messaging as their preferred form
`of communication, the youth of America
`is definitely putting its digits into the
`digital age.
`At Schaumburg's Woodfield Mall
`Sunday, several of them showed up
`from as far away as Oak Lawn to take
`part in a contest promoting a device
`called a Zipit Wireless Instant
`Messenger 2.
`It's as small as a cosmetics case and, when popped open, looks like a mini laptop, with
`the same keyboard and screen design. It sells for around $50 and works with existing
`AOL, Yahoo! and MSN IM accounts, streams Internet radio, and stores MP3 and jpeg
`files.
`Sunday's contest awarded prizes like Jonas Brothers tickets to the teens who could text
`the fastest.
`Asked how many minutes out of each hour she spends texting, contestant Renee
`Pedigo, 14, of Oak Park, estimated it can be as high as 30. "It depends if I'm eating or
`not," she said.
`Contestant Rubi Jeffries, 13, of Oak Park, said she once sent a text message in a movie
`theater to a person sitting next to her, after she was told not to talk so loud.
`Sarah Martinec, 18, of Brookfield, who was also competing, said she has sent text
`messages during dinner, while in class, while walking, while driving, and while in bed
`about to fall asleep.
`"I don't think it's an addiction," she said. "I just think the people you're texting text a lot as
`well. You're so used to it that that's the only way you'll communicate with them."
`There is a generation gap when it comes to texting. Jeffries' father, Anthony, said he only
`sends text messages to answer his daughter, who chimed in, "You text pretty fast now,
`Dad "
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`http://www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=211117&src=1
`
`6/23/2008
`
`ZIPIT EX. 2067, pg.1
`
`

`

`Daily Herald | Teens txt and IM even fstr than B4 in contest
`
`Page 2 of 4
`
`Anthony Jeffries said he is concerned about the impact of abbreviations in messages,
`such as the word "before," which is shortened to B4.
`"They're not using English, the real standard English," he said.
`Companies like Zipit Wireless are trying to address some of the problems associated
`with texting, which include cyberbullying and physical safety.
`Robin Kowalski, a professor of psychology at Clemson University, has written
`extensively on the subject of cyberbullying and worked as a consultant for Zipit Wireless.
`Kowalski said parents who are given handouts with typical abbreviations often fail to
`understand what they mean.
`"But if you give it to students, they know what every single one of these things mean,"
`she said. "This is the language kids are communicating. It's important that parents
`understand the lingo."
`Kowalski said the most frequent instances of cyberbullying occur in instant messaging,
`since that is by far the most popular messaging venue.
`John Moore, vice president of marketing with Zipit Wireless Inc., said his product actually
`prevents messages from strangers, since you can only communicate on the device with
`you're existing buddy list.
`"You have to have added them as a buddy directly. They can't be phishing for you. You
`can't get viruses. You can't go to Web sites you shouldn't go to, etc.," he said.
`Cyberbullying is a real threat, Kowalski said, leading to cases where children have
`committed suicide. The data indicates that cyberbullying affects girls more than boys, at
`a 2-to-1 ratio, she said.
`Text and instant messaging can also pose safety risks. Kowalski witnessed an accident
`last year in which a Clemson student walked in front of a bus, resulting in the loss of a
`foot.
`The challenge is to get texters to observe the rules of online etiquette or "Netiquette." For
`instance, you shouldn't text while driving and you shouldn't send a message with all
`capital letters, since it conveys the message that you're angry.
`"The problem with the Internet and text messaging is you don't have any way of reading
`the emotion of the victim or the perpetrators," Kowalski said.
`She added that maintaining your online reputation is important. As social networking
`sites have shown, you can risk losing a job over what you have posted.
`
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`posted by the funkychicken on Mon Jun 23, 2008 5:49 AM
`
`idgaff
`
`Report Abuse
`
`posted by Doctor on Mon Jun 23, 2008 7:25 AM
`
`Funny!
`
`Report Abuse
`
`posted by dh630 on Mon Jun 23, 2008 8:03 AM
`
`I have to disagree with the statement that all kids use these abbreviations to excess.
`
`Both of my children (14 and 16) text a great deal using T9 and hardly abbreviate anything.
`And when I abbreviate in a text to them, because I am not as fast as these kids are at
`texting, they tease me.
`
`They have both said they can't stand when some of their friends use the abbreviations. Of
`course there is the standard: idk (I don't know), idc (I don't care), nvm (nevermind) and
`LOL (laugh out loud).
`
`If people are using T9 texting, there really is no need for abbreviating.
`
`I am not worried about the english language being lost because of texting. I am worried
`about the social skills of some of these kids who can't seem to pick up the phone and
`speak to a person via voice conversation. None of them want to use the phone unless
`they are forced to. They would rather have a conversation via text, which is just a series
`of one line sentences.
`
`Report Abuse
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`http://www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=211117&src=1
`
`6/23/2008
`
`ZIPIT EX. 2067, pg.2
`
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