Texting Making Today's Youth All Thumbs

from the opposable dept

Tue, Jan 13th 2009 6:49am — Carlo Longino

There's been a lot of talk about how the rise of text messaging is affecting people and how they communicate. We've seen reports about texting's impact on families (verdict: not clear), on the English language (verdict: it's safe), and on students' grammar (it's okay too). But one more area texting is having an impact: young people aren't using their index fingers as much. Apparently because younger people are using their thumbs to text all the time, it's become the digit of choice for activities like ringing doorbells. So will index fingers go the way of the appendix and become some extraneous appendage unneeded by modern man? I just tried typing this post with only my thumbs, and based on that, I think they, and their six other friends, are safe for some time yet.

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Filed Under: kids, texting, thumbs

35 Comments

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Future Boy, 13 Jan 2009 @ 7:08am

Thumbs
Most people have 5 fingers on each hand, and 4 toes on each foot.
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eleete, 13 Jan 2009 @ 7:15am

Hot off the press !
Kid sends 14,528 text messages in one month. Bill is 440 pages long.
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Vir, 13 Jan 2009 @ 7:15am

Seriously?
Wouldn't today's youth, and yesterday's youth be more thumbs oriented due to video games? The Wii is a recent invention that involves the wrist. Is the index finger going away? No. As long as there are teens it will exist.
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Anonymous Coward, 13 Jan 2009 @ 7:18am

I've heard this before under the video game angle. It's nothing new.
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eleete, 13 Jan 2009 @ 7:18am

Unless a horrible accident
"I just tried typing this post with only my thumbs, and based on that, I think they, and their six other friends, are safe for some time yet."

Mine have 8 other friends.
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TriZz, 13 Jan 2009 @ 7:29am

Re: Unless a horrible accident
Two thumbs, two index fingers...that leaves 6 remaining digits. He does say their six OTHER friends...
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Michael, 13 Jan 2009 @ 7:30am

Obviously missed to point...
"Mine have 8 other friends."

The six is referring to the fact that the thumbs were omitted as they were already part of the discussion. The index fingers were main point, and there by leaving the middle, ring and pinky of each hand. By my count that is six, unless you have a freakish hands with extra digits...
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Michael, 13 Jan 2009 @ 7:31am

Obviously missed the point...
and I can't type or proofread either...
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Anonymous Coward, 13 Jan 2009 @ 7:31am

Re: Re: Unless a horrible accident
I was going to correct you, but you are indeed correct. 6 + the 2 index fingers is what he actually said.

You win this round, you magnificent bastard1
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:Lobo Santo, 13 Jan 2009 @ 7:59am

Re: Obviously missed to point...
I wish I had more fingers, it would make Guitar Hero that much easier...
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Anonymous Coward, 13 Jan 2009 @ 8:08am

Re:
That's exactly what I thought when I was reading this. They were commenting that we used our thumbs to dial phones instead of our index fingers before cell phone texting existed, and said it was due to videogames.
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fprintf, 13 Jan 2009 @ 8:20am

Re: Re: Obviously missed to point...
Play it as a lap-steel guitar... you can use your thumb on the green button, and 4 fingers on the other buttons. Your knee is the support for the back of the guitar. But who said it was supposed to be easy? I'm still stuck on Easy as making the translation real guitarist to virtual guitar is way more challenging that I thought.
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fprintf, 13 Jan 2009 @ 8:21am

Re: Re: Re: Obviously missed to point...
Correction, unless your hands are mounted on backwards you would play your little finger on the green button. Thumb is on blue I think.
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anonymous cow, 13 Jan 2009 @ 8:24am

index finger
the index finger is still the best for picking your nose.
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Anonymous Coward, 13 Jan 2009 @ 8:26am

Re: index finger
And likely it always will be. :-P
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12o, 13 Jan 2009 @ 8:31am

One of the things considered is that these teens will eventually grow up to be programmers, developers, marketers, etc. If they continue to use their thumbs throughout their teenage years and into adulthood, what are the possibilities that they will work for companies that will develop different items for the markets that will continue to use thumbs? Since they're thumbs will be the primary digit, chances are they may create devices they fell comfortable with, hence cascading the effect further down the line. Just a thought...
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chris (profile), 13 Jan 2009 @ 8:39am

as long as there are guns
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Anonymous Coward, 13 Jan 2009 @ 8:40am

The Thumb will reign supreme when we start talking about the benefits of having "opposable index fingers"...
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Twinrova, 13 Jan 2009 @ 8:49am

Re: Hot off the press !
I read this story this morning and was stunned. Girl's got some mad thumbing skills, that's for sure.

I can barely squeak out 1 text per day, let alone per minute. I don't text much. See no reason for it on a cellphone. Phone. Hmmm.

Any uses for the pinky finger? I can't find any other than to hit the Enter key on my keyboard.
:)
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DS78, 13 Jan 2009 @ 9:21am

Hmmm
As a guitar player who grew up with video games as a baby sitter I don't have the thumb problem. I haven't noticed anywhere either.
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Count Postula "ahh ahh ahhhhh", 13 Jan 2009 @ 9:36am

Re: Unless a horrible accident
really? you have 10 fingers and 2 thumbs? To0 bad this study doesn't have anything to do with math or human anatomy.

count it out if its too complicated... 2 thumbs + 2 index fingers + 6 "other friends" (aka remaining 6 fingers) = 10
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Anonymous Coward, 13 Jan 2009 @ 10:48am

Re: Unless a horrible accident
sure if you count the two thumbs, which should be discarded because: A) they aren't fingers, they're thumbs. and B) the article is talking about thumbs, so if you discount them and the index fingers, you are left with six digits. (unless you can work with your toes.)
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Anonymous Coward, 13 Jan 2009 @ 10:51am

As long as there are teen boys and victoria's secret catalogs fingers will be around for quite some time. As for the girls, I suppose tiger beat, or international male would work.
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Jesse, 13 Jan 2009 @ 11:35am

OMG I barely ever used my fourth finger! Maybe it feels left out. And when was the last time I typed with my toes. Look what technology has done to me.
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Anonymous Coward, 13 Jan 2009 @ 11:47am

What Voice Recognition
When we not longer need to type, will out fingers fall off? Geez I hope not cause I need mine for lotsa other stuff.
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Anonymous Coward, 13 Jan 2009 @ 12:06pm

Re: Re: Hot off the press !
Some musical instruments require pinky fingers.
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Xiera, 13 Jan 2009 @ 1:29pm

"I just tried typing this post with only my thumbs, and based on that, I think they, and their six other friends, are safe for some time yet."

You clearly don't have a mini hand held keyboard yet. :P (I dread the day...)
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Anonymous Coward, 13 Jan 2009 @ 1:52pm

Re: index finger
Yes, I find it very difficult picking my nose with my thumb.
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porkster, 14 Jan 2009 @ 12:53am

medical problems
As I sat waiting for my appointment with the doctor, a young girl (age 15) sat waiting across from me - her medical complaint RSI (aka OOS) of the thumb. in the few minutes I sat there she was constantly texting.

Seriously I think texting will be a thing of the past as pain overcomes the urge to text. Soon there will be medical warnings on cellphones along with pictures of damaged thumbs and thick glasses.

You'll be able to buy patches to put over your cellphone keys and you'll be able to get hypnosis to reduce the text urge.
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Anonymous Coward, 14 Jan 2009 @ 6:48am

I can only wonder about the condition of her thumbs:

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/lake/orl-text1409jan14,0,5867250.story
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gene_cavanaugh, 14 Jan 2009 @ 9:23am

Texting
Wow! You have FOUR thumbs? Let's see, 10 - 6 (other friends) equals four! Must be!
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Anonymous Coward, 9 Feb 2009 @ 5:46pm

xnN9H8 hi! hooli?
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painfully_obvious, 28 May 2009 @ 12:54pm

Re: Unless a horrible accident
the thumb is not a finger.
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Anonymous Coward, 18 Oct 2009 @ 6:44pm

doing blow with a gay ghost
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Hekko, 22 Feb 2016 @ 2:24pm

Re: Thumbs
That is not correct im afraid. Unless you are from gallifrey
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