Five Surprising Truths About Text Messaging in the U.S. Today

While you may not be surprised to learn of the massive number of text messages that will be sent in 2008 – 200 billion text messages, according to a new projection from mobile industry experts – you may be surprised to learn about some other facts about cell phone texting.

“People often don’t notice the impact technology can have on society and their personal lives,” said Palringo CEO Kerry Ritz in a Monday statement. Palringo describes itself as an “all-in-one rich-message company” for cell phones.

“Studies have shown that cell phone users are texting more than talking. While texting is a great medium for certain types of communication, voice or even visual images are sometimes better for the way we connect and converse,” Ritz said.

Palringo cites the following five surprising truths about texting:

1. “Americans text more than they talk. According to CNET News and a report from the CTIA (the wireless industry’s trade association), text usage has increased 160 percent in the U.S. since [2007] despite a doubling in what carriers charge for text messages.”
   
   
2. “Txting may not be gr8 for UR grades. While it’s debatable whether texting can be harmful to the development of social and language skills, it’s certainly true that SMS spelling and punctuation can be addictive. Your English teacher won’t be happy if your term paper looks like one big text message.”
   
   
3. “Believe it or not, there are people who just don’t like to text.”
   
   
4. “The game of telephone is not just limited to the telephone. By the time a text message gets passed from friend ‘A’ to friend ‘B’ to friend ‘Z,’ it might not be what you intended.”
   
   
5. “The really important things you need to share in life require more than text messages.”