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Northern Star

Northern Illinois University’s student news organization since 1899

 

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The Student News Site of Northern Illinois University

Northern Star

The Student News Site of Northern Illinois University

Northern Star

Polo G performs  9 p.m. Saturday in the Duke Ellington Ballroom at the Holmes Student Center. 

Rappers kick off Homecoming with energetic show

By Quentin Wilson | October 23, 2019

DeKALB — Rapper Polo G kicked off Homecoming Week with a heartfelt performance 9 p.m. Saturday in the Duke Ellington Ballroom at the Holmes Student Center. The event was hosted by the Campus Activities Board.Chicago rapper Queen Key and NIU students...

Point/ counterpoint: Texting and driving laws

By Jordan Radloff and Nicole Kain | September 15, 2019

Texting while driving law too stringentJordan Radloff | Contributor A law pertaining to distracted driving laws was recently passed by the Illinois General Assembly to change Section 5 of the Illinois Vehicle Code. The new law was put into effect on...

Download Button on Computer Glass Keyboard

Fill in the Blank: Kids these days won’t remember…

By Perspective Staff | October 17, 2018

Chris Grask | Perspective Contributor ... the uncertainty yet greatness of Limewire.The client file sharing program was the next Napster, yet you never knew what you were really downloading until you opened it on your desktop.The program was filled with...

Socializing vital to our health

By Godwin Thomas | February 19, 2018

Students should be more active in initiating conversations with others as social interaction plays a significant role in our overall health."Scientific evidence shows that involvement in social relationships benefits health… Social ties also reduce...

Cell phones safe from telemarketers

By Chelsey Boutan | January 25, 2012

If you receive an email warning you that all U.S. cellphone numbers will be released to telemarketing companies, just ignore it. Scott Mulford, media spokesman for the Illinois Attorney General's Office, said emails with this message are scams. "These...

Texting in class seen as distruptive to students, teachers

By Lauren Dielman | January 22, 2012

"I have a strict policy about texting," said a history professor said in a YouTube video as he took the texting student's cell phone, broke it in half and dropped it in a glass of water.After a minute or so, the clearly irritated student packed his bags...

Does texting make communicating less personal? Yes.

By Colin Remes | October 19, 2011

Everyone can agree that our technological advancements have made our lives significantly easier. However, texting has increasingly made communication less personal. Because of this, messages are often misinterpreted and oftentimes unknowingly hurt or offend people.

Back in the day--before cell phones became attached to our hips, people had no other choice but to call on a house phone if they wanted to get a hold of someone. Nowadays, I often hear my friends say, "ehh...I don't feel like calling I'll just text them," when trying to get a hold of someone. Yes, it is more efficient at times to shoot someone a text if you have a quick inquiry, but we shouldn't make texting so much of a habit that it's awkward to call someone. I'm sure people have been in a situation before where they're arguing with someone through texts because they want to avoid the confrontation in person. This creates a problem because people sometimes read the message differently from the way you communicated it.

There is more to communication than just words. People communicate through facial expressions, their tone of voice and body language. Something you might be sending to a person might be sarcasm or a joke, but they might take it as that you're trying to be mean. Remember: All they see are words and nothing else. According to an article on About.com titled "Types of Nonverbal Communication", "While nonverbal communication and behavior can vary dramatically between cultures, the facial expressions for happiness, sadness, anger and fear are similar throughout the world." Sending a text that reads, "I'm fine," may make it hard for the recipient to tell if you really are fine or are upset without seeing your facial expression or hearing your tone of voice. "Depending on the topic of conversation it can be hard to do it through texting because people can take it the wrong way," said sophomore special education major Lauren Wright.

Using texting as a main source of communication also affects people socially. I know you're thinking, "Well of course it does, I text my friends on the weekend to see what's going on." However, if people get too used to texting all the time and rarely use a phone or have face-to-face conversation, it impacts the way they interact with people. It may sound silly but communicating everyday with people allows you to practice your communication skills and develop confidence in other aspects, such as an interview, a speech, or even just being able to hold a conversation.

I'm not trying to tell anyone to stop texting or that texting is bad. Let's be real, you're probably texting someone right now, just as I'm about to. The main point is to not let texting control the way you communicate to people. Still make the effort to call your parents just to hear their voice or meet up with an old friend to catch up in person rather than just the occasional "How are ya?" text.

Guest Column: Old electronics should be donated, recycled

By Ryan Read | October 17, 2011

Picture this scenario: You are casually walking to class, listening to your iPod or checking your smartphone to get the latest news, and you walk by someone who has the latest tech in their hands. It's faster, slimmer and more energy efficient, and you...

DeKalb Township will be partnering with Cell Phones for Soldiers
to provide soldiers overseas with prepaid calling cards. Donations
can be dropped off at the DeKalb Township offices, located at 2323
S. Fourth St., near the I-88 tollway.

Support our troops, donate a cell phone

By Thomas Verschelde | August 24, 2011

The DeKalb Township will partner with Cell Phones for Soldiers to help provide soldiers overseas with prepaid calling cards so they can stay in touch with their loved ones.Sarah Merritt, public relations representative for Cell Phones for Soldiers, said...

Supposed cancer risks wont deter my cell phone habits

Supposed cancer risks won’t deter my cell phone habits

By Kyla Gardner | June 9, 2011

I decided I became an adult when I started flossing regularly. I felt that I had grown out of what psychologists call the superman complex: teenagers believe they are invincible and nothing bad can happen to them. It's the reason they're so bad at driving...

The negative effects of being digitally connected

The negative effects of being digitally connected

By Nathan Fulkerson | February 21, 2011

We need to have a talk. No, you are going to have to put your cell phone away, and stop refreshing Facebook to see if someone ‘liked' your LOLcat. It can wait, really. The innovation of smart phones, laptops, even more portable netbooks and MP3 players...