Text Messaging Booms: 80% More Messages Sent In Just 12 Months; 132.5 Billion Texts Sent

New York Times:

The number of text messages transmitted in the United States grew by more than 80 percent over the 12 months ended in June, according to a report just released by CTIA...

Read the whole story: New York Times

Comments

[totaldisbelief]

That new NSA data center in Utah will have to be BIG !

[blisster]

12 months ago O was elected...­....hmmmm.­... Do tea-baggers text?

[Crass Innuendo]

That's too much inane chatter for the mind to comprehend.

[AnglScarlett]

I'm not much into the whole texting thing, but you only have to look around in any public place to see that it's taken over. You don't need a big story to tell you that, just look around and observe. You might be surprised by what you see. Personally I only allow a handful of people to be on my blackberry messenger. I definitely do not want a bunch of people texting me all day, I don't have time for that. Other than my niece who I always have time for, if any one of them started texting me a lot, I'd delete them from messenger and they'd have to go back to email, or you know, call me. But the kids are into it. So what, let them have fun.

[Plakias]

Ho hum. I don't even think texting is an efficient way to send a message. It's like old school twittering - limited characters, unable to say much of substance, baaaad spelling to get over the fact that you're communicating through a limited format. I'd just use the phone to talk to the other person! But I guess I'm clearly in a minority here, since the stats don't lie. I'd like to see those stats repeated for DubLi - that's a cause far more worthy of $$$ and attention.

[jws2346]

I ain't got nothin' against texting, just texting and driving trains at the same time.

[barksalot]

Texting is like people wearing sun glasses on a cloudy day while talking to you. A security blanket. It gives time to formulate an answer rather the having to respond instantaneously as you do orally.

[Zenith1959]

Don't have a qwerty keyboard on my cheapo cell, but just for fun sent my first text message the other day, just to see how it works, probably won't send another.

[Zenith1959]

Hey, spellchecker didn't underline "qwerty", didn't know it was a word.

[CAmbiguous]

I found out that I was a TRUE cell phone addict the other day ago. You have to decode the page first (hilarious..) but the test is really interesting.

http://concretelyambiguous.com/i-bet-you-cant/cell-phone-addiction/

[HBHB]

We will one day evolve into mutes.

[NoMercy]

As long as we continue to communicate effectively, does it matter how?

[Matt7]

Both "communicate" and "effectively" are the operative words.

The written word was always more precise and formalized than the spoken word. Now, not only is the exact opposite true, but technology is helping to undermine the mastery and appropriate use of the language. And, as indicated in one of the posts below, younger people are finding it increasingly more difficult to differentiate between the two, or to understand why it should make any difference.

Example: How many times have you seen, not just mistakes, typographical errors, or misspellings, but actual inappropriate usage of words like -- their/they­'re/there, your/you're, than/then.

I'm not the grammar police, but I was just taught to respect the language, and its use.

[studmoose]

Many of the carriers break up attachments, videos and picturs as multiple message units.

So the actual amount of true text messages are quite smaller than that.

[barksalot]

What a wonderful inovation. Why talk to someone orally when you can type the words for them to read. Can using morse code be far behind?

[studmoose]

That's funny, because...

One of the TV shows had the world's record holders for texting and morse code go at it to see who was faster.

The morse code guy won!

[Thomas Steele]

For those of us who hate talking on the phone, texting is great. I actually communicate more with people because of texting, not less. I wish I would just call people more but I don't.

[MarkDykstra]

Now report how many people kil led in an auto while texting.

Here in Holland its a 150 Euro fine.

That is why all the new cars here have bluetooth phone builtinto dashboard

Just put SIM card in.

I notice lots of people on the autobahn talking to people when no one else is in the car. LOL

[totaldisbelief]

the accident stats are about the same as for drunk driving.

[RachelMc]

hey thats my blackberry tour!!!