TEXT MESSAGING:
A NEW COMMUNICATION PHENOMENON
Kyle Meehan
Issue date: 5/7/07 Section: News
About 5 billion text messages are sent everyday in the United States. This number is up 2.8 billion from only a year ago, according to the Wireless Trade Association. The booming popularity of text messaging shows that it is becoming a necessity for teens and young adults.
Recently, ten people were surveyed by this reporter. The question asked was: On average, how many text messages do you send a week? The means of communication used to conduct the survey was text messaging. The entire population responded back within an hour. The average answer was a hefty 230 text messages per week.
Teenagers and young adults are among the majority of the text messaging population. "It's just a real easy way to stay in touch with friends by not saying too much but still know what they are up to," said 20 year-old college student Greg Bennett. "I almost always know where my friends are during the day because of staying in touch with them through texting. I would say I send over 75 text messages a day on average."
Response time of text messaging is usually very fast according to its users. "It really bothers me if I can't answer my text right away," said Bennett. "I feel like I need to get back to that person as quick as possible."
Many text massagers can get themselves into trouble because of this "need to text."
Bryant McDonald, another college student, was asked about this texting phenomenon. "In high school I would always get my phone taken away for text messaging. If someone would text me I just had to get back to them as quick as possible, even if it wasn't that important," said McDonald.
It seems that the bulk of text messaging people do it is when they are really supposed to be doing something else like working. "The majority of my texting happens in class or at work when I am unable to talk on the phone," said McDonald.
Text messaging is now also being used in the workforce by an older population. Now, 31 percent of cell phone owners ages 28 to 39 use texting. The younger population is bringing text messaging into the working world by texting with older colleagues. This figure is derived from the Pew Internet and American Life Project survey released in March.
The generation of text messaging is just beginning. "I think texting will keep growing," said Bennett. "Right now it seems like mostly younger people are using it, but as time goes on, we get older and texting will stay with us."
McDonald echoed Bennett's comments. "As long as I have a cell phone texting is going to always be part of my life. Its just convenient," he said.
Recently, ten people were surveyed by this reporter. The question asked was: On average, how many text messages do you send a week? The means of communication used to conduct the survey was text messaging. The entire population responded back within an hour. The average answer was a hefty 230 text messages per week.
Teenagers and young adults are among the majority of the text messaging population. "It's just a real easy way to stay in touch with friends by not saying too much but still know what they are up to," said 20 year-old college student Greg Bennett. "I almost always know where my friends are during the day because of staying in touch with them through texting. I would say I send over 75 text messages a day on average."
Response time of text messaging is usually very fast according to its users. "It really bothers me if I can't answer my text right away," said Bennett. "I feel like I need to get back to that person as quick as possible."
Many text massagers can get themselves into trouble because of this "need to text."
Bryant McDonald, another college student, was asked about this texting phenomenon. "In high school I would always get my phone taken away for text messaging. If someone would text me I just had to get back to them as quick as possible, even if it wasn't that important," said McDonald.
It seems that the bulk of text messaging people do it is when they are really supposed to be doing something else like working. "The majority of my texting happens in class or at work when I am unable to talk on the phone," said McDonald.
Text messaging is now also being used in the workforce by an older population. Now, 31 percent of cell phone owners ages 28 to 39 use texting. The younger population is bringing text messaging into the working world by texting with older colleagues. This figure is derived from the Pew Internet and American Life Project survey released in March.
The generation of text messaging is just beginning. "I think texting will keep growing," said Bennett. "Right now it seems like mostly younger people are using it, but as time goes on, we get older and texting will stay with us."
McDonald echoed Bennett's comments. "As long as I have a cell phone texting is going to always be part of my life. Its just convenient," he said.
Be the first to comment on this story