Confessions of a Walking-Texter

I’m ashamed to say that I am an avid walking-texter. It’s even more dangerous to text and walk when you’re as clumsy as I am. I walked face first into a tree my first day of high school. True story. I didn’t even have a phone to distract me then.

It has become even worse since I’ve had a smartphone. Now I text and walk, check email and walk, facebook and walk, tweet and walk, and more. I found myself starting to sudoku and walk last week and had to draw the line.

I’ve never run into anyone as I’m aware enough to know when someone’s coming my way. I’m only a threat to myself and my environment. It is my fear to walk into a pole in the middle of campus. Although, I’m not nearly as bad as the woman who walked into a fountain while texting.

I can’t help but do it, though. One time, as I walked from the back of the second floor of the library,  I got a facebook message, replied to it via email, and forwarded the message to my friend via text all before I hit the front doors. This extreme multitasking makes me feel awesome; like I’m doing a “walk and talk” on the West Wing. But I do recognize that it makes me extremely dangerous. A girl on a mission with blinders on towards the world.

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As for a PR Campaign that might alert the public of this growing problem? Signs won’t  alert those already affected. It could be that the only way to reach these people (myself included) is through their phones. I say: Guerrilla Warfare!!

Except with Technology. They'll never see it coming.

Random text messages suddenly sent out saying things like: “WATCH OUT FOR THAT POLE!” or “AH! CAR!!!”  or maybe more positive messages like: “That cute boy/girl is checking you out, flash a smile!” or “What a beautiful day! Look around, would you?” Anything to jar these people (and me)  into the present tense.

Because even though it makes me feel like a BAMF to send a flirty text, wish someone happy birthday on facebook,  look up my checking account and check the Braves scores all while walking to my car from the gym, I know one day something really bad will happen. Worse than running into a tree. I’m going to be hit by a car, or run over by a wayward bike, or heaven forbid, accidentally knock my public relations professor over  and fail this class. And if any of those things happen, I won’t be able to blame the West Wing, or who I was texting or even my lack of guerrilla warfare style texts warning me to watch out. Only my foolish, clumsy head, living in my own little world.