I keep reading cartoons that kids love to text.
I don’t know any adults that even know how, much less would bother with it.
I presume the sole reason is to “talk” during class?
College student here and yes I text mainly when a person is in class and I need to get a hold of them. Some of my friends seem to prefer texting simply because they don’t want to have an entire conversation to get a small piece of information to someone.
On another note my dad texts me a lot and he’s usually in meetings when he sends them, so I guess he falls in with the kids there.
My husband and I text all the time, mostly for little things that aren’t important enough to disturb the other with a call. My friends and I text, too, since you never know when someone’s available to talk at work and when they’re not.
Sometimes it’s just more convenient and discreet than a phone call. I’m 29, btw – hardly a student!
I can’t imagine why anyone would find portable, cheap, asynchronous text-based communication useful. Kids, eh!
All the damned time. It’s like e-mail, except it’s in your pocket and the other person gets it immediately.
It’s the main way that my GF and I stay in communication during the day. I’ll generally text her a morning greeting (she gets to sleep later than I do) and any information that might prove useful. (eg: It’s snowing like a motherfuck, plan accordingly! ; Skytrain service is f’d up, leave early ; etc.)
Our breaks don’t match up, so it allows us to plan for the evenings and whatnot during the day.
I also use it to reach friends and co-workers when a live call isn’t practical.
Errr…I’d be worried if my colleagues didn’t receive/respond to texts. We’re all occupied at a lot of the time, so it’s the best way to communicate.
And socially - yes. More than I ever phone anyone, by a long way.
The wife and I mostly use texting to communicate during work hours. I tend to spend a good part of my day in places where a ringing cell phone would be annoying or embarassing. I leave my phone set to vibrate and she’ll text me to say hi when she’s on her break or lunch hour. If I’m where I can talk I’ll call her back or if I can’t call I’ll just text her back a quick reply. If she doesn’t hear from me right away she knows I’ll call back when I can. It’s also a good way to let me know if she just wants to say hi or if I need to call back as soon as possible. Voicemail can provide some of the same functions, but texting just seems to work better for us.
Very rarely and as has been stated above only when I want some small piece of information and when a full conversation isn’t necessary. My phone seems to really suck for texting too. It could just be user error but if it was easier I might be more willing to use it.
According to My T-Mobile’s online billing summary: Yes, I text quite a bit. 2,119 messages sent / received last month.
I’m 48 and never text nor do I see forsee the need to text in the future. I have email and a telephone at work so I can’t imagine the need for anything else. Of the few text messages I received I was annoyed that I had to answer the phone.
I will say that I’m impressed by the phone companies ability to increase market share with additional services. Text messaging is an obvious hit.
Yup, all the time.
The majority of people I text are long distance, and since I have a plan that allows for US and Canada texting at the same rate it’s great. It’s also much cheaper than phoning them.
I only recently started texting though, say the last year. Before that my phone had the capability but I never bothered, and thanks to the dictionary option I can just hit keys and it will spell the word without my scrolling through each letter, so my texts aren’t all shorthand (which drives me batty).
Never used it, don’t see the point. I mean, I have a phone in my hand, and you have one in yours. Call me! If either of us are in class, I don’t want to talk to you, I’m paying attention. If it is something that can’t wait, leave me a voicemail and I’ll get it after class.
I’m 48 and have never used it, either, nor will I be taking it up. The handful of people with whom I communicate know how to reach me in person, by e-mail, telephone land line or MSN Messenger. I hate talking on the phone; I suspect I’d like text messaging even less.
I use it quite a bit, especially if I want to contact one of my sons (re being home for dinner etc). I don’t need a long, deep and meaningful convetsation, just a ‘yes’ or ‘no’.
28 year old here. My wife and I got cell phones almost solely for the purpose of texting. On our plan (prepaid virgin mobile) text messages are a nickel (or is it a dime? I forget) and so it is way cheaper just to text back and forth than it would be to call. We are happy with this, and with the ability to call when necessary.
So. Yes. Adults text.
-FrL-
What’s “asynchronous” mean in this context?
-FrL-
I’m guessing it means that you don’t have to have both parties engaged at the same time for the communication to work, unlike a phone conversation.
I don’t own a mobile phone, but if I saw one that had text functionality, but no conversation functionality, I’d buy it straight away*. Text messages are great because you can ignore them for a moment. Most people I know who are annoyed by mobile phones are annoyed because at any time, their owner can have to drop what they’re doing at no notice and have a conversation. As far as I’m concerned, texting is all the convenience of a mobile phone, without the downside.
For statistical purposes, I’m twenty-one, and a student.
*I might be exaggerating this, because really I could just buy a cheap phone and never answer or make calls. Really I’m just too lazy to get a phone and maintain it, I think.
I love it, and it’s pretty ubiquitous here (Australia) and in NZ for those 40 and under, but pretty popular over that age as well. It’s cheap, provides a record of details (like a phone number or address) without having to write it down, can be easily forwarded, discrete (you can do it in meetings, or in a movie if you need to), and you can deal with the text when you feel like it. I taught my parents to text when I and they travelled, a very cheap way of keeping in touch when overseas too.
I text a lot in a business context. Actually, find it very unobtrusive as will text people for either a very quick answer or to see if they can talk.
I’ve in my 40’s and do this daily as part of my sales activities.
Very much an adult and only use Text messaging, mine are free to recieve and cost me 15 cents to send and condense a voice conversation to its lowest common denominator.
Declan