Hope Crabtree

Professor Lohmeyer
English Composition 101
14 December 2016
Texting Doesnt Affect Your Writing
Take a look around. What are a lot of people doing? Those people are on their cellular devices
talking or texting. We can do it almost anywhere- walking to class, waiting in line at the grocery store, or
hanging out at home. Its quick, its easy, and its convenient, (Cullington 361). Michaela Cullingtons
essay, Does Texting Affect Writing? starts off by telling her readers how dependent people have become
with texting. Texting offers autocorrect and other things so some people have become so use to having it
and using it while texting those people do not realize that it is affecting their writing. Cullington decided
to do some research of her own on the topic. Her research suggests, that texting has a minimal effect on
student writing. It showed that students dont believe its appropriate in formal writing assignments.
(Cullington 367). Her findings also show that students know the difference between texting with friends
and with formal writing. (Cullington 367). Cullington has found that students are smart when it comes to
writing and texting.
Before Cullington decided to conduct her own research, she took into consideration the
complaints of teachers throughout different schools. The complaints are the concerns the teachers have for
their students. The teachers want to see all their students exceed their potential, but the teachers think that
texting is affecting that. One of the complaints is that texting lacks emotion. (Cullington 363).
Cullington writes about the teachers and their concern students may lose the ability to express emotion
in writing. (Cullington 363). So Cullington decided, To get a more personal perspective on the question
of how teachers perceive texting to be influencing student handwriting, I interviewed two of my former

high school teachers. (Cullington 363). Cullington wanted to find an answer to this problem and she did.
She did research and interviews, and she did not stop until she found an answer.
Cullingtons first survey consisted of seven students on their opinions about the impact of
texting on writing. (Cullington 365.) Next she decided to ask some teachers the same question as before.
Lastly, Cullington analyzed student writing samples. (Cullington 366). Cullington had a small number
of respondents but that did not matter. In the end Cullington found her answer, My research suggests that
texting actually has a minimal effect on student writing. (Cullington 367). Cullington was persistent with
her research and found an answer.
People text every day. Its become part of the daily routine. Individuals have become so used to
texting that sometimes those individuals dont realize how much it is done. Everybody is around all this
new technology that theres no way people will stay away from it. In summary, Does Texting Affect
Writing? by Michaela Cullington, provides the readers that texting has no effect on students writing.
Texting will always be around, people will be surrounded by new and improving technology from time to
come.

Work Cited:
Cullington, Michaela. Does Texting Affect Writing? They Say/ I Say. Ed. Gerald Graff, Cathy
Birkenstein, and Russel Dust. 3rd Ed. New York, N.Y.: W.W. Norton & Company, 2014. 361-371. Print.