Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Teen Wins Texting Competition.

This is Kate Moore, the world's newest texting champion.

What did this adorable winner have to say after snatchin' the title? Check it --

"Let your kid text during dinner! Let your kid text during school! It pays off. Your kid could win money and publicity and a phone."
Aight. I'll be real. She makes an excellent point. She managed, after having her first cell phone for only eight months, to win $50,000 for her habit of 14,000 texts per month. Me...I average 1,000 texts every thirty days and it feels like I text all of the time. Plus, most of the time, I don't spell any word correctly.
Also, it turns out that the competition involved not only speediness but also accuracy. Each contestant had to text blindfolded in addition to texting while moving through an obstacle course to get on the show. In the final showdown, Kate had to text three long phrases without making spelling, punctuation, and abbreviation mistakes. She rocked it by barely beating the clock on the tiebreaking text.
Sigh. I can't help but be moved by this story and totally proven wrong by my previous statements regarding texting. Clearly this teenager, as well as many, love to text and get mucho joy out of it. And, when it's used in a positive way, (improving spelling, communication, etc.) I can't help but support teen texting. However, I do believe it's all about balance.
Ya can't be textin' at the dinner table all the time. For real.

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