# Do you text? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 7, 2007, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-text/386995 "2007-01-07T00:19:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Kraut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b77776/32.png) [@Kraut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kraut)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2007, 8:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-text/386995/21 "2007-01-07T08:42:22Z")
The only reason I own a cellphone is so I can be reached in the event of some catastrophic emergency, so no, I don’t text. ---
**Author:** ![bundykala](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3da27b/32.png) [@bundykala](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bundykala)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2007, 9:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-text/386995/22 "2007-01-07T09:06:24Z")
I text all the time! And so does everyone else I know. But then again.. I’m one of those kids you speak of. [QUOTE=Girl From Mars] …you can do it in meetings, or in a movie if you need to… [/QUOTE] Texting in movies is terrible! The lit up screen is so distracting, and usually accompanied by annoying giggly preteens from snotty private schools who don’t know any better. ---
**Author:** ![myskepticsight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/cc9497/32.png) [@myskepticsight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/myskepticsight)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2007, 9:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-text/386995/23 "2007-01-07T09:27:08Z")
I enjoy texting. A lot of things I need to say to people don’t warrant a phone conversation, and my friends have bad habits of not listening to voicemails. I don’t do it all the time or anything, but I find it extremely useful. My mom has me text her when I won’t be coming home at night so she knows when she wakes up and I’m not there that I’m not dead; and if I decided I wasn’t coming home at 3am I won’t have to wake her up with a phone call. So I dig it. ---
**Author:** ![Seven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Seven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Seven)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2007, 9:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-text/386995/24 "2007-01-07T09:49:19Z")
I don’t text. Back in my day we moved our lips to talk to one another. Sure, it’s “old fashiony” but damn nabbit if it were good 'nuf back then it’s good 'nuf now. And if’n I catch any of them there whipper-snappers a textin’ on ma lawn, I’m gunna call the police. ---
**Author:** ![DiosaBellissima](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a8b319/32.png) [@DiosaBellissima](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DiosaBellissima)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2007, 10:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-text/386995/25 "2007-01-07T10:19:20Z")
[QUOTE=Seven] I don’t text. Back in my day we moved our lips to talk to one another. Sure, it’s “old fashiony” but damn nabbit if it were good 'nuf back then it’s good 'nuf now. And if’n I catch any of them there whipper-snappers a textin’ on ma lawn, I’m gunna call the police. [/QUOTE] “No, you can’t have your emoticons back! Remember what I said LAST TIME you sent them to my in box? They’re mine now! At least now you’ll appreciate them! Kids these days!” ---
**Author:** ![Ice\_Wolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/dfb087/32.png) [@Ice\_Wolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ice_Wolf)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2007, 10:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-text/386995/26 "2007-01-07T10:51:44Z")
I have friends who’ve tried to get me used to texting – but I’m clumsy, all-thumbs (and not in a dextrous way), and take ages looking for the right key. Then working out how many times to push it. And then trying to clear what I just entered … So – I’m in the “texts rarely” camp. ---
**Author:** ![scareyfaerie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scareyfaerie/32/3135_2.png) [@scareyfaerie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scareyfaerie)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2007, 12:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-text/386995/27 "2007-01-07T12:02:13Z")
Kids are texting in class? Why aren’t the little sods working? ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2007, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-text/386995/28 "2007-01-07T13:32:59Z")
I don’t even have a cel phone that I use with any regularity. I have one of those “pay as you go” phones that I keep in the car just in case I break down. So, no, I don’t text. Even if I did have a cel phone, I would more likely call someone or email them. But I know how, c’mon it isn’t that tough. ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2007, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-text/386995/29 "2007-01-07T14:58:20Z")
I text more than I call, but that’s not saying much. I might text once a day at most. My husband and I can’t talk on our cell phones while at work, but a quick text asking about dinner plans or to pick up something on the way home is fine. ---
**Author:** ![SurrenderDorothy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/surrenderdorothy/32/1221_2.png) [@SurrenderDorothy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SurrenderDorothy)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2007, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-text/386995/30 "2007-01-07T15:11:14Z")
Not as much as some kids, but every once in a while, I’ll send a friend a “hope you’re having a good day!” message or if I want to tell them something but know they’re in class (I don’t text during class). I figure, calling a friend on the phone and saying, “I hope you’re feeling better!” or “Happy Wednesday!” or “Top Model’s on tonight! yay!” or “banana hammock!” is just weird and pointless and they could be doing better things. But a friendly text message can brighten my day, so why not send them to my friends? ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2007, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-text/386995/31 "2007-01-07T15:14:37Z")
Yep. Make and receive about 20 calls a month, but send and receive about 1,000 texts a month. Personal and business. My plan gives me 2,000 free texts a month, and they’re always free to receive here. It’s the handiest thing ever, and since leaving the US to retire, my parents have also embraced it completely. ---
**Author:** ![Tomcat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Tomcat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tomcat)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2007, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-text/386995/32 "2007-01-07T15:24:54Z")
Yep. It is a normal part of communication here for all ages. It has many uses both socially and professionally (“10 min. late for meeting.” “John’s number is 555-1234”). -Tcat ---
**Author:** ![Ephemera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8baadc/32.png) [@Ephemera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ephemera)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2007, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-text/386995/33 "2007-01-07T15:31:48Z")
Almost never but, then, I rarely use my cell anyway. My received calls log goes back to April and my dialed calls list to early November. Even ignoring my small family and social circles, I’m just not much of a phone person. ---
**Author:** ![Dunderman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecb155/32.png) [@Dunderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dunderman)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2007, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-text/386995/34 "2007-01-07T15:39:42Z")
[QUOTE=fishbicycle] I hate talking on the phone; I suspect I’d like text messaging even less. [/QUOTE] Actually, I find that people that hate talking on the phone (like me) tend to like text messaging. You can do it when you feel like it, not when some bugger decides to call you, a lot of information is transferred better through text than through speech, and it’s just the ideal way to communicate as far as I’m concerned. OK, maybe postcoital pillowtalk beats it. But that’s it. In other words, I use it a lot. I’m 29. My 55+ mother is using it too; it’s the ideal way to say things like “The plane has landed and we’re OK, see you in a week”. ---
**Author:** ![MandaJo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ac91a4/32.png) [@MandaJo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MandaJo)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2007, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-text/386995/35 "2007-01-07T17:34:00Z")
I use it a lot. 1500 a month or so, usually. As a teacher, it’s a great way to communicate with students–they can text me a quick question and it’s less threatening than calling a teacher and asking. I also coach an academic decathlon team, and it’s an awesome way to nag people in bulk. ---
**Author:** ![NinjaChick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/71c47a/32.png) [@NinjaChick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NinjaChick)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2007, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-text/386995/36 "2007-01-07T17:34:38Z")
All the time. It’s useful because tons of my friends have cell phones from home rather than school, so I don’t need to pay something obscene like 60c/minute to ask “Hey, where are you?”. Factor in time-zone differences between where a lot of my friends from home are (east coast) and where I am at school (mountain time), the cheap cost (my plan has a deal where you pay a few extra bucks for several hundred messages), and the ease (I can send a text in less than a minute, rather than waiting as their phone rings, they answer, we exchange the requisite pleasantries, etc), and it’s just so much easier. ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Il\_Palazzo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Lord\_Il\_Palazzo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Il_Palazzo)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2007, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-text/386995/37 "2007-01-07T17:51:07Z")
I very rarely text. I’d say that I send at most 2 or 3 text messages each year and receive about as many. I’m a college student by the way, if that matters for this pole. ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Il\_Palazzo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Lord\_Il\_Palazzo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Il_Palazzo)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2007, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-text/386995/38 "2007-01-07T17:52:51Z")
[QUOTE=Lord Il Palazzo] I very rarely text. I’d say that I send at most 2 or 3 text messages each year and receive about as many. I’m a college student by the way, if that matters for this **pole**. [/QUOTE] Or for this **poll** either. ---
**Author:** ![threnodyangelfire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecc23a/32.png) [@threnodyangelfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/threnodyangelfire)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2007, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-text/386995/39 "2007-01-07T21:42:42Z")
I live in Australia, but have a lot of friends in the US. Texting and instant messaging is the cheapest way to keep in touch with them “real time”. That said, it’s relatively cheap to call these days too. ---
**Author:** ![AngelicGemma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/439d5e/32.png) [@AngelicGemma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AngelicGemma)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2007, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-text/386995/40 "2007-01-07T22:28:41Z")
I text quite frequently. It’s a good and cheap way to keep in touch with friends. I get 250 free a month. And if one of us is busy, they can text back later. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-text/386995.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-text/386995.md?page=3)