- Though I teach history and cultural studies,
I always do my best to discuss
how technology, and our obsession with it,
affects how students think, analyze,
resolve conflicts and be patient.
So, I wanted to teach my students a valuable lesson
and see once and for all,
if having a face-to-face conversation
is actually more effective than texting someone
or being in a group chat.
I wanted to reward them with a treat.
I let them pick between pizza or some sort of chicken dish.
However, there is a catch.
I split them up into two groups.
The first group had to come to a unanimous decision
on whether they wanted pizza or chicken
and they had to do it via a text message group chat.
So, no speaking.
The second group, had to also come to a unanimous decision,
however, they had to do it in a face-to-face
discussion and debate.
Both groups will only have eight minutes
to come to their decision.
So, will the group who's having a face-to-face talk
come to their unanimous decision quicker?
Or will this prove that text messaging,
even though it's not personal,
is an effective way to actually communicate?
You guys have eight minutes.
All right, clock started.
Are you guys sending memes?
Chicken or pizza?
Ready, start your discussion.
- [Girl] But did he say fries?
- Wait, wait wait.
Where did fries come into the picture?
It said chicken tenders or fried chicken.
- [Girl] Okay that's fine, but you can get the sauce
from the cafeteria.
- [Boy] You want cafeteria sauce?
- [Student] How about if someone's vegetarian?
- Well, you guys have three minutes or you get nothing.
- Pride don't get you nowhere in life.
Pride gets you nowhere.
Just give in.
- You'll get something from either Popeye's
or some other place.
Oh hey, I didn't say it will be.
I said I will try to get Popeye's.
- Alright, so he said it just might be Popeye's.
- But what if it's not Popeye's?
- You're gonna be real mad if we get Popeye's.
And you won't get a piece of chicken 'cause
you've been going for pizza.
- Are we getting more divided as we go?
- No, everyone's saying chicken.
- [Teacher] Is everyone saying chicken?
- Are we allowed to kick people out of the group?
- No.
- How much time's left?
- One minute.
- Oh my God, just pick something.
- [Teacher] It's gonna be like a bomb countdown.
Like, 10, nine, eight.
- Okay we came to a conclusion.
Chicken it is.
- Mitchell, you sold?
- Yeah.
- All right, chicken?
All right, all right, so you guys get chicken.
Good job.
You guys got about 15 seconds.
- All right, chicken.
- If it's Popeye's.
- Yes, we got chicken.
- No, we need everybody.
- Okay, somebody make a sacrifice.
- Time.
You guys didn't come to a decision,
therefore, nobody gets food.
- What?
- So here's the deal real quick.
You didn't see the previous group.
They went, they had the same conversation,
but they did it in a group chat.
And they actually came to their resolution
in seven minutes and 15 seconds.
So, we wanted to see.
I honestly, I'll be honest, I assumed that you guys
would come to your decision in like two minutes,
and that was it and sit here for six minutes.
You guys are gonna get food and you're gonna get both.
We wanted to see which was more productive or effective,
sitting face-to-face, or actually sitting in a group chat.
Face-to-face did not, it definitely did not work.
- I felt like pizza's a more appropriate option for school.
I've never heard of anybody eating chicken at school.
- What does that mean?
A more appropriate option for school?
- I've never heard of anybody getting chicken
for a party in school.
Like, this is school, it's not like.
- That sounded so stupid.
I think pizza's the most appropriate option.
- Watching it, it was just everybody
screaming and arguing.
And like, you couldn't really hear
any one person speak.
You actually had to, like, quiet everyone down
in order just to hear the one person speak.
So, with the texting, while it was kind of hard to read,
you could scroll back up and see what everyone was saying
while, in person everyone's just screaming it
and you have to figure it out.
- They're both food.
You act like they're bringing us lobster.
It's chicken tenders.
- It's like pizza's just so much more convenient to eat.
- We get chicken tenders for lunch,
so that doesn't make sense.
- When you're face-to-face, you can express yourself better.
And that sometimes is a bad thing,
because now you have conflicting personalities
going at each other.
Sometimes, being in person can be messy.
♪ Soul pancake ♪