Why don't Americans love to text/txt/sms?

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You've all finally got mobile phones, right? People over here are obsessed with texting, even when a voice conversation would actually be cheaper and quicker.

― N. (nickdastoor), Friday, 26 March 2004 19:16 (twenty-two years ago)

I think you just answered your own question, no?

― dave225 (Dave225), Friday, 26 March 2004 19:17 (twenty-two years ago)

No, I don't think I did at all!

― N. (nickdastoor), Friday, 26 March 2004 19:18 (twenty-two years ago)

Because a voice conversation would actually be cheaper and quicker :) (xpost)

And I think I subconsciously don't take seriously text messages in "txt," because of years on the internet.

― Tep (ktepi), Friday, 26 March 2004 19:18 (twenty-two years ago)

The only time I've ever sent a text message was a) back when people had pagers instead of phones, and b) when I didn't have a cell phone and could send it from the web. And even then, I've done it maybe five, six times in my life.

― Tep (ktepi), Friday, 26 March 2004 19:19 (twenty-two years ago)

The average American's opinion of texting: Texting = IMing = computer thingy done when not at a computer = "YOU WON'T CATCH ME DOING THAT NERDY SHIT, YO PASS ME ANOTHER BUD"

(Also: Texting = harder than speaking = "YOU WON'T CATCH ME DOING THAT NERDY SHIT, ETC ETC")

― VengaDan Perry (Dan Perry), Friday, 26 March 2004 19:19 (twenty-two years ago)

Unless you want to recast it as 'why do British people send them even when it's more expensive and takes longer than calling?' (which it doesn't, mostly).

― N. (nickdastoor), Friday, 26 March 2004 19:19 (twenty-two years ago)

I don't actually do txtspk btw. In common with most people, I use predictive text.

― N. (nickdastoor), Friday, 26 March 2004 19:20 (twenty-two years ago)

A lot of cell phones aren't set up for them, either.

― El Diablo Robotico (Nicole), Friday, 26 March 2004 19:20 (twenty-two years ago)

because americans generally LOVE the human voice. any excuse to hear it, you know.

― mandee, Friday, 26 March 2004 19:20 (twenty-two years ago)

hey I *love* IMing and emailing - preferred form of communication.

this appeal just doesn't transfer to the phone. not sure why.

― Ask For Samantha (thatgirl), Friday, 26 March 2004 19:20 (twenty-two years ago)

so, uh, why are british people obsessed with texting?

― vahid (vahid), Friday, 26 March 2004 19:21 (twenty-two years ago)

America = fast & cheap.
England = not.

― dave225 (Dave225), Friday, 26 March 2004 19:21 (twenty-two years ago)

Also, Americans are gigantic pussy-ass Luddites who wet their diapers at any hint of advanced technology that doesn't involve explosions/breasts.

― VengaDan Perry (Dan Perry), Friday, 26 March 2004 19:21 (twenty-two years ago)

short answer as per Lauren's text thread: service providers and phones are just not geared up for them like they are in Europe.

British people ARE obsessed. My text speed was incredible before I left. I shudder to think what it is now.

Also - my wife has AIM on her phone - wtf???

― @d@ml (nordicskilla), Friday, 26 March 2004 19:22 (twenty-two years ago)

I didn't get the impression from what people have said on ILE that mobile phone tariffs were particularly cheap, compared to the UK.

― N. (nickdastoor), Friday, 26 March 2004 19:22 (twenty-two years ago)

yeah i think that might be part of it. txting seems to take more time than its worth, flipping through all the letters. bah.

dan, surely you're wrong. we were more internet friendly as a whole before the rest of the world.

― Ask For Samantha (thatgirl), Friday, 26 March 2004 19:22 (twenty-two years ago)

I think my friend Nickie can text faster than she can speak.

― N. (nickdastoor), Friday, 26 March 2004 19:22 (twenty-two years ago)

I love txt & am american so yr theory is flawed

― Aaron W (Aaron W), Friday, 26 March 2004 19:23 (twenty-two years ago)

Predictive text never works well for me and takes at least as long as just typing it in myself; maybe British predictive text systems work better?

Also, the British only use text-messaging for anonymous sex, apparently.

― Tep (ktepi), Friday, 26 March 2004 19:23 (twenty-two years ago)

i like my answer the best.

― mandee, Friday, 26 March 2004 19:24 (twenty-two years ago)

On my phone service plan text messages cost $.10 to send/receive. That shit gets expensive. I only use it in emergencies.

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Friday, 26 March 2004 19:24 (twenty-two years ago)

Quite a few people here don't use predictive text because they say 'it comes up with the wrong word'. 5 mins teaching them that you have to ride through the wrong word stage and they're usually sold. I've only used it on Nokia handsets though - maybe on some other phones it is useless.

― N. (nickdastoor), Friday, 26 March 2004 19:25 (twenty-two years ago)

Because we have Sprint and to text message, the phone has to connect to the internet or some nonsense and it takes a long time. And then Lauren went to England and came back and threw switched away from sprint and now makes fun of me for having sprint.

Also because you could pick up the phone, say what needs to be said, and be done with it and get back to living in the real world instead of obsessively looking at your phone and typing little messages.

― Dan Selzer (Dan Selzer), Friday, 26 March 2004 19:25 (twenty-two years ago)

Also, as far as price: I get thousands of phone minutes, and unlimited free calls to other people who have Sprint phones; I get something like 50 text messages a month before I have to pay for them. Why on earth would I do so?

I think the luddite thing is a red herring; none of the computer geeks I know, professional or otherwise, text message very much.

― Tep (ktepi), Friday, 26 March 2004 19:25 (twenty-two years ago)

They are good for flirting with people you barely know.

― N. (nickdastoor), Friday, 26 March 2004 19:26 (twenty-two years ago)

My perspective may be skewed since I write code for a living, but my general impression is that most people are not interested in technology unless it can make them cum/fat.

― VengaDan Perry (Dan Perry), Friday, 26 March 2004 19:26 (twenty-two years ago)

I text when i'm in a place where i can't talk (loudness, inappropriate, etc.).

i hate that their isn't regional dictionaries (ie, burritos not in pred. txt).

― gygax! (gygax!), Friday, 26 March 2004 19:26 (twenty-two years ago)

Not cum fat, though, I hope?

― N. (nickdastoor), Friday, 26 March 2004 19:26 (twenty-two years ago)

It's a strange world we live in, N.

― VengaDan Perry (Dan Perry), Friday, 26 March 2004 19:27 (twenty-two years ago)

I think you're right mostly about the nuts-and-bolts of technology, Dan, the command-line level so to speak, but we're otherwise pretty gadget-friendly/gizmo-obsessed compared to anyone but the Japanese.

(But maybe text messaging is closer to "command-line level" compared to voice?)

― Tep (ktepi), Friday, 26 March 2004 19:28 (twenty-two years ago)

it's because the british generally LOVE the written word.

― mandee, Friday, 26 March 2004 19:28 (twenty-two years ago)

i have no idea what predictive txt is.

alright, this thread has inspired me. i'm going to txt msg my crushboy.

mine's an old, ghetto-ass phone (my students and the old man who sweeps the floors at sh!ps have better phones than me) but it works with txt msgs. i think i get so many free per month.

let's see if the boy answers me.

― Ask For Samantha (thatgirl), Friday, 26 March 2004 19:28 (twenty-two years ago)

wait why are you texting people about burritos all the time?

― oops (Oops), Friday, 26 March 2004 19:28 (twenty-two years ago)

i love texting, but it was difficult to do before i switched over to t-mobile (most wonderful svc ever). now i do it all the time, for a low monthly fee of 2.99 for unlimited messaging. sometimes it would be easier to actually call someone, but texting is a godsend if you do a lot of scheduling (easy to check in with people) and spend a lot of time in venues (often poor reception/loud background noise) or on the road.

― lauren (laurenp), Friday, 26 March 2004 19:32 (twenty-two years ago)

That's my point of view fleshed out and with some reasoning behind it, Tep. I stopped texting people because no one would EVER respond to me; most of the tech-heads I know did the same. I know a lot of people who use texting to get common info from central sources (weather, news, entertainment info, etc) but hardly anyone who uses it for two-way communication. I don't see that become prevalent until A) the pricing model changes; and B) Americans get over using their phones as something other than a phone (I think the camera phone/game phone phenom will in the long run do more to get people used to the idea of texting than anything else).

― VengaDan Perry (Dan Perry), Friday, 26 March 2004 19:32 (twenty-two years ago)

i hate that their isn't regional dictionaries (ie, burritos not in pred. txt).

kebab is in my friend's predictive text, which cracks me up.

― lauren (laurenp), Friday, 26 March 2004 19:34 (twenty-two years ago)

i need t-mobile again. my current service is AT&T and it sucks ass.

― mandee, Friday, 26 March 2004 19:34 (twenty-two years ago)

wait why are you texting people about burritos all the time?

haha, i never thought it would happen with such regularity but yep.

ps: lauren is a text-master. color me wowwed.

― gygax! (gygax!), Friday, 26 March 2004 19:35 (twenty-two years ago)

this american loves texting! I have a nokia, at&t wireless, and it's $3 a month for unlimited texting for me and mr teeny. It is absolutely true that the US is a mishmash of different mobile systems that makes it very difficult. I use it when I know mr teeny is busy and so he can call me back at his leisure, I use it when I'm outside my local call area (texting is free wherever I am) to send messages like, 'plane landed safe' to mr worrywart. I would probably use it even more if I ever went out to crowded bars. :(

― teeny (teeny), Friday, 26 March 2004 19:36 (twenty-two years ago)

my god, speaking of cell phones.. i just took a picture of myself on my camera phone and i look like KUATO the MUTANT from TOTAL RECALL.

― mandee, Friday, 26 March 2004 19:39 (twenty-two years ago)

i sent 17 messages last night from various crowded bars. a really, really, really funny misunderstanding occurred as a result, but it's not appropriate to share here.

― lauren (laurenp), Friday, 26 March 2004 19:40 (twenty-two years ago)

Americans are cost-benefit people. We don't see the use for texting, by and large.

I don't think Americans are as drawn into techno-gimmicks as (in this case) British people. Ringtones, camera phones, texting - just never catch on as big over here. I couldn't believe my Rapture import CD came with a little card on how to get your Rapture ringtones.

― miloauckerman (miloauckerman), Friday, 26 March 2004 19:44 (twenty-two years ago)

If texting could make you cum Big Macs, Americans would be ALL OVER IT.

― VengaDan Perry (Dan Perry), Friday, 26 March 2004 19:46 (twenty-two years ago)

man in the moon... why can't I cum big macs like all my friends?

― mandee, Friday, 26 March 2004 19:48 (twenty-two years ago)

if I could cum fat I'd be really skinny.

I'm so sorry I typed that.

I've been text messaging a girl, but like, while I've mastered the preemptive word thing, where you hit each button one for the letter and it guesses the word you're typing, she's still doing the thing where to type "C" you have to hit the number 2 like three times, so our dialogues are like this:

she: feel ok?

me: yes, I went to the doctor and I'm healed, He gave me lots of pills, which is awesome and now I have to go to another doctor.

her: good

me: what is going on tonight? if you want to come to the party I'm playing records at, you will probably be bored, you can call me later

her: ok later

― Dan Selzer (Dan Selzer), Friday, 26 March 2004 20:02 (twenty-two years ago)

Yes, that's an unbalanced text relationship. Something must be done.

― N. (nickdastoor), Friday, 26 March 2004 20:06 (twenty-two years ago)

but she instigats the text dialogues always. I just see her inability to type as a technical manifestation of her natural shyness, and my ability to use "T9" word typing as a manifestation of my usual verbosity.

― Dan Selzer (Dan Selzer), Friday, 26 March 2004 20:09 (twenty-two years ago)

It's certainly not that Americans are afraid of technology, that's a stupid thing to think; but, other than that texting does tend to be more expensive over here, it is cultural. And I do think a better way to cast the question is "why do the british like to text so much?" because y'all have this thing about being coy and indirect and stuff.(/sweeping generalizations)

Seriously, if I'm getting the right impression then I'm with you. If I had a cell phone I'd always be texting.
Let me see if this is correct: I want to tell someone something, right, but the thought of calling them up and saying "erm hi i thought you might like to know that we've decided to go to restaurant Y instead of restaurant X, um, that is of course if you still want to come heh [LONG SILENCE]... uh, okay then I guess I have to go do, um, something. See you later! Or not, that's okay, okay bye!" is almost physically painful. It is (or would be) so much easier just to text: GOING TO Y. SEE YOU THERE.

― Dan I., Friday, 26 March 2004 20:10 (twenty-two years ago)

I've known people to send long texts without T9, I used to when I didn't have it anyway, have you tried encouraging her to engage in sports or activites which improve thumb dexterity?

― Ronan (Ronan), Friday, 26 March 2004 20:12 (twenty-two years ago)

It's certainly not that Americans are afraid of technology, that's a stupid thing to think

[...]

Seriously, if I'm getting the right impression then I'm with you. If I had a cell phone I'd always be texting.

(xpost HAHAHA RONAN! "Really honey, if you massage my prostate with your thumb it will improve your texting skills.")

― VengaDan Perry (Dan Perry), Friday, 26 March 2004 20:15 (twenty-two years ago)

I wasn't talking about SEX.

hitch-hiking?

― Ronan (Ronan), Friday, 26 March 2004 20:15 (twenty-two years ago)

VengaDan: I am poor as shit, okay? i'd love to have a cell if I could afford it.

― Dan I., Friday, 26 March 2004 20:16 (twenty-two years ago)

I know one sport or activity that can improve thumb dexterity.

ok. look, I'm sorry. I'm not usually like this. It's just, this past week or two, I've been in a really weird mood and have been acting out like this on a bunch of different lists. Meanwhile, I've got this goddamn Teddy Grahams ad that hasn't to be sent to New Jersey for proofing and all this Chase work that needs archiving and REAL work I should be doing. If the Internet blew up, that would be the best thing for me. Then I could finally get some time to work on my web site.

ok, I see now I was beaten to the punch...

― Dan Selzer (Dan Selzer), Friday, 26 March 2004 20:16 (twenty-two years ago)

It is unAmerican to refrain from buying something just because you can't afford it!

― VengaDan Perry (Dan Perry), Friday, 26 March 2004 20:17 (twenty-two years ago)

Okay I was lying. I just prefer to keep up the payments on my cable modem.

― Dan I., Friday, 26 March 2004 20:19 (twenty-two years ago)

To be serious again for a brief second, I really think that a lot of you guys are underestimating nerd stigmatism in America.

― VengaDan Perry (Dan Perry), Friday, 26 March 2004 20:23 (twenty-two years ago)

but Jay Z and all those hippity hoppers always talk about using their 2 way

― oops (Oops), Friday, 26 March 2004 20:25 (twenty-two years ago)

Most of the people I do see text-messaging are the school-sweatshirt-wearing jock-ish/frat-ish/cheerleader-ish undergraduates at IU, though (both in and out of class ... although for all I know they're messaging people in class). I'm not denying there's a nerd stigmatism or that I might underestimate it, but that doesn't seem to fit. (Maybe there are regional and/or age differences, since I rarely-to-never saw it at UNO or Tulane.)

― Tep (ktepi), Friday, 26 March 2004 20:27 (twenty-two years ago)

I should just ask them, actually. "How do you feel about text messages? All right. What about nerds?"

― Tep (ktepi), Friday, 26 March 2004 20:28 (twenty-two years ago)

Lots of rugged individualism in the UK.

To the extent that the corporate world is an early adopter of such things, we use blackberries in the US, so what's the point of text messaging?

― gabbneb (gabbneb), Friday, 26 March 2004 20:31 (twenty-two years ago)

OH NO MY FIRST GENERATIONAL MISCONCEPTION OH NO!!!!!!!!!

― Old-Ass VengaDan Perry (Dan Perry), Friday, 26 March 2004 20:32 (twenty-two years ago)

maybe its just us fogies who don't like it.

― Ask For Samantha (thatgirl), Friday, 26 March 2004 20:33 (twenty-two years ago)

Hell, I don't even like AIM.

― Tep (ktepi), Friday, 26 March 2004 20:38 (twenty-two years ago)

but the hip-hoppers are talking about Blackberry's usually, or were initially, which is a follow up to pagers/beepers, which were very popular in hip-hop culture. Prior to the popular use of cell phone text messaging, the only people actually text messaging were stockbrokers/businessmen and rappers. I always somehow sing the west coast electro track Rockberry Jam as "uh, Blackberry, uh uh Blackberry Jam"

― Dan Selzer (Dan Selzer), Friday, 26 March 2004 20:39 (twenty-two years ago)

(Dan OTM)

― VengaDan Perry (Dan Perry), Friday, 26 March 2004 20:41 (twenty-two years ago)

OMG, WTF! WHY DO TEH ENGLISHS ALL HAVE CROOKID, DIRTEY TEETHS?!

― dean! (deangulberry), Friday, 26 March 2004 20:41 (twenty-two years ago)

Wow, I have no idea what a blackberry is in this context.

― Tep (ktepi), Friday, 26 March 2004 20:41 (twenty-two years ago)

someone txt me when you've worked out the answer to this.

― cozen (Cozen), Friday, 26 March 2004 20:42 (twenty-two years ago)

Too much text messaging, apparently.

(xpost http://www.boydslade.nf.ca/blackberry.gif)

― VengaDan Perry (Dan Perry), Friday, 26 March 2004 20:43 (twenty-two years ago)

Brits be textin'!

― Dan I., Friday, 26 March 2004 20:47 (twenty-two years ago)

my high school tried to ban beepers because "only drug dealers used them" which, at a certain point, was true. The son of one of the members of Kool and the Gang had a gold-plated beeper, but then again, he was a drug dealer, at least for a time, and I think he was kicked out of my school.

Blackberry Pagers were expensive beepers basically that had little keyboards(see above) and you could send messages to each other in a time when most people didn't even have cell phones and there was no IM or whatever.

I remember a bit of controversy when the company realized their was a shift in their demographic, sort of like Tommy Hilfiger's initial distanceing himself away from being associated with hip-hop culture, but I think Blackberry smartened up and started making them in colors or something.

uh, cue Ice-T....colors, colors.

― Dan Selzer (Dan Selzer), Friday, 26 March 2004 20:52 (twenty-two years ago)

http://www.blackberry.com/images/handhelds/landing/7200_landing.jpg

mine.

― dean! (deangulberry), Friday, 26 March 2004 20:52 (twenty-two years ago)

i send text messages to girls i'm too afraid to actually talk to.

― Ian Johnson (orion), Friday, 26 March 2004 20:53 (twenty-two years ago)

so are you a crip, dean?

― Dan Selzer (Dan Selzer), Friday, 26 March 2004 20:54 (twenty-two years ago)

you couldn't ask for a better straight man.

― cozen (Cozen), Friday, 26 March 2004 20:54 (twenty-two years ago)

why, because i'm black?

― dean! (deangulberry), Friday, 26 March 2004 20:55 (twenty-two years ago)

I talk to girls I'm affraid to text message, and IM girls I'm affraid to talk to, but what I never do, under any circumstance, is call them on the phone.

― Dan Selzer (Dan Selzer), Friday, 26 March 2004 20:56 (twenty-two years ago)

no, because your email address looks like a gang sign.

(in case you missed it and aren't just having me on...I had just implied that Blackberry began marketing their pagers in color plastics when they realized their demographic was no longer only stodgy businessmen, then you flashed a blue pager)

― Dan Selzer (Dan Selzer), Friday, 26 March 2004 20:58 (twenty-two years ago)

See, Americans aren't afraid of technology, they're afraid of Americans. They're afraid of the world.

― Tep (ktepi), Friday, 26 March 2004 20:59 (twenty-two years ago)

http://www.tiramillas.net/cine/zoolander/bowie.jpg

― dean! (deangulberry), Friday, 26 March 2004 21:04 (twenty-two years ago)

Maybe this has to do with brits more often being in crowded places no good for talking (i.e. public transport) while americans drive more and etc??

― Sterling Clover (s_clover), Friday, 26 March 2004 21:05 (twenty-two years ago)

Brits be texting and driving!

Though this is illegal.

― N. (nickdastoor), Friday, 26 March 2004 21:30 (twenty-two years ago)

you be doing that?

― cozen (Cozen), Friday, 26 March 2004 21:33 (twenty-two years ago)

No, absolutely not.

― N. (nickdastoor), Friday, 26 March 2004 21:38 (twenty-two years ago)

My friends always seem to be texting -- Felicity, bnw, etc. I would text if I had a cell phone.

― Mary (Mary), Friday, 26 March 2004 21:45 (twenty-two years ago)

Anglophile New Yorkers be texting!

― N. (nickdastoor), Friday, 26 March 2004 21:46 (twenty-two years ago)

http://ox.eicat.ca/~scarruthers/ilx/treo.jpg

― Sean Carruthers (SeanC), Friday, 26 March 2004 21:50 (twenty-two years ago)

Those things are madness, but if you've got a full keyboard, texting makes more sense than it does otherwise.

― Tep (ktepi), Friday, 26 March 2004 21:55 (twenty-two years ago)

And by "madness", Tep, of course you mean "totally EFFIN brilliant"! The Treo 600 is probably the thing that's going to finally wean me off of carrying BOTH cell and pda. I love it! LOVE IT!

― Sean Carruthers (SeanC), Friday, 26 March 2004 22:02 (twenty-two years ago)

The only way that thing could be better would be if it turned into a car and gave blowjobs.

― VengaDan Perry (Dan Perry), Friday, 26 March 2004 22:02 (twenty-two years ago)

(NO NO NO DON'T SUBMIT THAT oh shit)

― VengaDan Perry (Dan Perry), Friday, 26 March 2004 22:02 (twenty-two years ago)

You want blowjobs off of cars?

― N. (nickdastoor), Friday, 26 March 2004 22:04 (twenty-two years ago)

Dan, I think I speak for everyone in my household when I say, STAY THE HELL AWAY FROM MY CAR.

― Sean Carruthers (SeanC), Friday, 26 March 2004 22:04 (twenty-two years ago)

Exhaust pipes be sucking!

― N. (nickdastoor), Friday, 26 March 2004 22:05 (twenty-two years ago)

[This is where I'd put the Gary Coleman / David Hasslehoff / KITT thumbs-up pic if I knew an url for it.]

― Tep (ktepi), Friday, 26 March 2004 22:06 (twenty-two years ago)

You's a big fine SUV, won't you BACK DAT EXHAUST UP

― Juvenile (Dan Perry), Friday, 26 March 2004 22:07 (twenty-two years ago)

Will this do instead, Tep?
http://ox.eicat.ca/~scarruthers/ilx/dan-rider.gif

― Sean Carruthers (SeanC), Friday, 26 March 2004 22:07 (twenty-two years ago)

Would it ever! Look at the way KITT bobs.

― Tep (ktepi), Friday, 26 March 2004 22:08 (twenty-two years ago)

... excuse me...

― VengaDan Perry (Dan Perry), Friday, 26 March 2004 22:09 (twenty-two years ago)

[This is where I consider Photoshopping it into something obscene and then remember that there were good reasons why I chose to stay in tonight]

― N. (nickdastoor), Friday, 26 March 2004 22:10 (twenty-two years ago)

dan, there's a comic book you should read...Howard Chaykin's Time2, Satifaction of the Black Mariah. It's about a car, that umm, gives blowjobs, but then kills people. And other stuff. It's pretty good, though.

― Dan Selzer (Dan Selzer), Friday, 26 March 2004 22:12 (twenty-two years ago)

i'd never even discovered sms until i came to europe and bunch of my european friends seemed addicted to it (i've never taken part because i've never had a cell phone)

i don't see anything wrong with it in theory, but people sometimes spend minutes texting when you're having dinner with them, and things like that, whereupon it gets annoying

― amateur!st (amateurist), Friday, 26 March 2004 22:13 (twenty-two years ago)

Does it do predictive blowjobs?

― N. (nickdastoor), Friday, 26 March 2004 22:14 (twenty-two years ago)

From Page 6:

ANOTHER night, another carnal conquest for Mick Jagger (above). The 60-year-old Rolling Stone took a 20-year-old Columbia University co-ed named Meredith back to his suite at the Mandarin Oriental after partying with her at Lotus and Bungalow 8 the other night. Jagger met the brunette beauty at Lotus, but left with some pals and ended up at the more exclusive Bungalow 8, where he text-messaged her to join him. When Meredith and another giddy Columbia co-ed arrived, they couldn't get past its notoriously tough velvet ropes, so Jagger sent a friend to usher them inside. And the rest is history.

― Mary (Mary), Friday, 26 March 2004 22:41 (twenty-two years ago)

i like how "coed" sounds so much racier than "student" but means the same thing in this context

― amateur!st (amateurist), Friday, 26 March 2004 22:43 (twenty-two years ago)

so i can't get the college girls because jagger's fucking 'em all? scandalous.

― Ian Johnson (orion), Friday, 26 March 2004 22:45 (twenty-two years ago)

Also, Americans are gigantic pussy-ass Luddites who wet their diapers at any hint of advanced technology that doesn't involve explosions/breasts

too true. All technological advances made in this country have been done in the service of porn (see PT Anderson's insightful documentary "Boogie Nights" with special commentary from Errol Morris)

― Donna Brown (Donna Brown), Friday, 26 March 2004 23:33 (twenty-two years ago)

sms porn is big in france! there are ads on tv for it!

― amateur!st (amateurist), Saturday, 27 March 2004 11:19 (twenty-two years ago)

Calling mobile phones in the UK is really expensive, and you pay per call, so texting is cheaper. Calling mobile phones in the US is included in the monthly service plan, whereas texting usually costs 5 or 10 cents or whatever, so texting is more expensive.

― Kris (aqueduct), Saturday, 27 March 2004 14:59 (twenty-two years ago)

What the FUCK is SMS porn?

They are good for flirting with people you barely know.

OTM OTM OTM OTM OTM. And I've only had a mobile for three months.

― Matt DC (Matt DC), Saturday, 27 March 2004 15:43 (twenty-two years ago)

I don't think the cost of SMSing in the US is a big factor. Alot of plans include it for $2 - $3 per month or so. Also, even though voice rates may be higher in Europe (but I don't know that they are, my German bills were comparable to the US), people certainly jabber about the most inane things on the mobiles in Europe, so they're not worried about cost.

So I have to think it's cultural. May be that Americans expect technology to make things MUCH easier, not just provide an alternate venue for expression. SMSing takes a bit of getting used to. I could never get my predictive text feature to do anything for me. My text messages here in the US almost never get answers.

Like my posts on ILE. ha ha ha...

― Skottie, Saturday, 27 March 2004 15:49 (twenty-two years ago)

maybe there's no real explanation???

sms porn i dunno, i've never used it

― amateur!st (amateurist), Saturday, 27 March 2004 21:39 (twenty-two years ago)

what is sms?

― Ask For Samantha (thatgirl), Saturday, 27 March 2004 23:00 (twenty-two years ago)

another reason why text msging rules: international texting! instead of spending loads of cash on transatlantic calls, i can text as part of my 2.99/mo plan. thanks to this feature, i can keep up with the daily goings-on of my friends overseas. for example, i got a message a few minutes ago from a friend in london saying that she had just puked in the monarch and hoped my night would go better than hers.

― lauren (laurenp), Sunday, 28 March 2004 00:09 (twenty-two years ago)

Can I mentally substitute 'on' for 'in' there?

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Sunday, 28 March 2004 00:18 (twenty-two years ago)

oh god, yes. please do!

― lauren (laurenp), Sunday, 28 March 2004 00:21 (twenty-two years ago)

Although living it as 'in' calls to mind the one Spinal Tap drummer's means of death, since you can't really dust for vomit.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Sunday, 28 March 2004 00:22 (twenty-two years ago)

I think there are more mobiles than people in Germany ... seriously. Because people might have one for work, and one for home, but also because it costs more money to call than to receive, so people will have one for each.
And SMS'ing is HUGE here too, every commercial on TV seems to be an SMS, or SMSFlirt ad. And at night, all the commercials are for SMS or phone sex, and they don't even bother with the 1-900 stuff, it's all like "call 66866 on your handy (= what they call mobile phones in Germany)".

― Barry Bruner (Barry Bruner), Sunday, 28 March 2004 00:41 (twenty-two years ago)

Of course, they actually say "66866 RUF AN von Handy!".

― Barry Bruner (Barry Bruner), Sunday, 28 March 2004 00:42 (twenty-two years ago)

I just got a text message from Lauren and it was mean-spirited and hurtful, but I appreciate the attention anyway.

― Dan Selzer (Dan Selzer), Sunday, 28 March 2004 01:31 (twenty-two years ago)

I can't wait to get my XDA unlocked for T-mobile, then I'll be in text heaven

― chris (chris), Sunday, 28 March 2004 01:38 (twenty-two years ago)

Just as an FYI, I just recently got the first cell phone I've ever had that actually has the capability for going online, text messaging, etc., but I can't actually use those options, because it would add on to the monthly cost of the cell phone service plan we're under. I love being frugal and hate owing money on things -- I mean, I've never even had a credit card; I do everything I would normally do with a credit card, with a debit card. So yes, saving money, or having something be reachable within my budget, is an absolute necessity in my life, and that is largely the reason why I will probably not send a single text message to anyone via a cell phone for a long time to come.

― Many Coloured Halo (Dee the Lurker), Sunday, 28 March 2004 19:58 (twenty-two years ago)

I've never even had a credit card; I do everything I would normally do with a credit card, with a debit card.

I entirely approve of this lifestyle choice.

― Ian Johnson (orion), Sunday, 28 March 2004 20:06 (twenty-two years ago)

saving money, or having something be reachable within my budget, is an absolute necessity in my life

it's really cheap for me, so i actually save money & minutes on my plan by texting. rah!

― lauren (laurenp), Sunday, 28 March 2004 22:43 (twenty-two years ago)

so why didn't you text me back yesterday?

― Dan Selzer (Dan Selzer), Monday, 29 March 2004 02:03 (twenty-two years ago)

Its cheaper for me to txt than call on my mobile too. A txt is 20 cents or something (17 cents? Not sure) but to call people is $1.60 a minute or something ridiculous as I use a prepaid card that I top up whennever it runs out.

We have SMS pr0n ads and the like in Australia now too, tho it seems it is a recent thing. FIVE BUCKS A MESSAGE. You'd have to be pretty bloody sad and desperate. I mean I can get dirty SMSs from my friends any time I like, why pay some skanky ho for it?

Also, txt flirting is grate fun... can one really txt people overseas? Hmm... interesting...

― Trayce (trayce), Monday, 29 March 2004 02:24 (twenty-two years ago)

And I do think a better way to cast the question is "why do the british like to text so much?" because y'all have this thing about being coy and indirect and stuff.(/sweeping generalizations)

Actually I once spent about half an hour ranting to a north American about how text messaging was a sign of lingering Victorian repression amongst the British.

I was drunk.

― Anna (Anna), Monday, 29 March 2004 08:44 (twenty-two years ago)

But possibly correct.

― Matt DC (Matt DC), Monday, 29 March 2004 09:01 (twenty-two years ago)

Isn't it true that American phones cannot text outside their own network? This used to be the case a few years ago, I don't know if it still is.

But still, I think it's more a cultural thing. Texting just goes better with the British shyness/reticence/repression.

― Super-Kate (kate), Monday, 29 March 2004 09:14 (twenty-two years ago)

He decided he fancied me after that. The world moves in mysterious ways.

(This was years ago)

― Anna (Anna), Monday, 29 March 2004 09:36 (twenty-two years ago)

Texting/being texted while in a social group seems less exclusive than making/receiving a call. For asking questions that don't require some great ruminative discussion texting is perfect. For the barbed one-liner that ILX loves so much they're also ideal.

I don't have a contract on my phone so pay somewhere between 10-20p/min for calls (I dunno, I haven't checked). I bought a text saver pack last year which gets me five free texts a day for a year for £15. I last topped up some time in 2002. So mostly I'm too stingy to call.

― Michael Jones (MichaelJ), Monday, 29 March 2004 09:57 (twenty-two years ago)

It's less intrusive - it feels like you're disturbing people less. I still don't like calling people on mobiles during the week in case they're in a meeting and forgot to turn it off (happened this morning, albeit a work call). Texting also doesn't require an immediate response - you can think about your answer, word it better than if you're put on the spot. And it means that you can avoid fibbing if caught off guard on the phone - or at least have a moment to word the fib for the benefit of all concerned.

(I send about 3 texts a day. I really feel I couldn't do without them. NB anyone who's on Orange gets 30 free texts a month by sending them through their website - and you get to type them on a keyboard this way, too!)

― Markelby (Mark C), Monday, 29 March 2004 11:58 (twenty-two years ago)

I hate the way yer modern phone can tell whether a message has been read. I think it's highly intrusive, in a kind of checking up way.

― Dave B (daveb), Monday, 29 March 2004 12:01 (twenty-two years ago)

I have a pathological need to use up all the available space in a text message - it *really* pisses me off when people wilfully waste the opportunities presented to them by sending two-worders.

I have started, conducted and probably finished entire relationships via sms/IM. This makes me a sad, barren husk of a man, I admit.

I never use predictive texting, any more than I use spellcheck on my computer. Fuckers, trying to police my choice of words.

― CharlieNo4 (Charlie), Monday, 29 March 2004 12:08 (twenty-two years ago)

I love texting, but I don't use the predictive thing so I'm one of Selzer's slo-pokes. I'll probably switch to it, but like Charlie No. 4 I'm pretty attached to certain outré spellings. So it may take awhile.

One thing I've noticed on my Ericsson: when I "Delete All" texts, there are some texts w/a little icon next to them - it looks like a document icon from a Macintosh or something - and they don't get erased, they stick around. I have to go into the message itself, "proceed," and delete individually. I've read them already, as well. What does that little icon mean?!

― Tracer Hand (tracerhand), Monday, 29 March 2004 12:09 (twenty-two years ago)

I hate it when I get two-word texts as well. And I seem to get them a lot. Usually with the same two words...

― Matt DC (Matt DC), Monday, 29 March 2004 12:10 (twenty-two years ago)

ur gay?

― Markelby (Mark C), Monday, 29 March 2004 12:13 (twenty-two years ago)

You know, predicitive text people, you can switch it off temporarily when typing in poncey words then switch it back on again...

― Markelby (Mark C), Monday, 29 March 2004 12:14 (twenty-two years ago)

With my phone that would be like trying to hack into NORAD.

― Tracer Hand (tracerhand), Monday, 29 March 2004 12:17 (twenty-two years ago)

Tracer, are those the texts saved on your SIM card instead of the phone itself?

― Matt DC (Matt DC), Monday, 29 March 2004 12:18 (twenty-two years ago)

Haha I love how you expect me to know the answer to that.

― Tracer Hand (tracerhand), Monday, 29 March 2004 12:23 (twenty-two years ago)

Dudes, (with Nokia at least) you can save your own spellings for things, youse know. Which is why I have things like 'grarrgh' and 'cockfarmer' appearing on predictive. I am frequently grumpy while texting. So you can have your poncy/outre spelling cake and eat it too.

― Liz :x (Liz :x), Monday, 29 March 2004 13:08 (twenty-two years ago)

Why is 'prawn' not in the Nokia dictionary?

― N. (nickdastoor), Monday, 29 March 2004 13:11 (twenty-two years ago)

xxxxx (4:41:25 PM): joe was so drunk last night
xxxxx (4:41:38 PM): and called nicole and said that i wanted to fuck her, and bryce wanted to fuck aurelia.
xxxxx (4:41:41 PM): she got pissed.
xxxxx (4:41:49 PM): then we told her not to be an uppity whore and to smoke pot with us.
xxxxx (4:41:50 PM): CREEPY
YYYYYYY (4:45:19 PM): gagagagagag
xxxxx (4:45:25 PM): hahaha
xxxxx (4:45:37 PM): *ALL VIA TEXT MESSAGE*
xxxxx (4:45:45 PM): except joe's initial voicemail he left on nicole's machine.
YYYYYYY (4:46:41 PM): hahahah oh man

― Ian Johnson (orion), Wednesday, 31 March 2004 20:50 (twenty-two years ago)

^ that is ian and i on aim

I just text messaged people about buying markers to doodle with

― Lil' Won Jilliams (ex machina), Wednesday, 31 March 2004 20:53 (twenty-two years ago)

I didn't read all the post, but it's because a year or two ago there were several sending systems were not compatible being used in the U.S. so you often could not text someone because their phone would not "talk" to yours. This maybe worked out by now, but my cell plan charges me $.10 for each message and voice calls are free.
I don't think that the U.S. cell co.s want us to use txt.

― Speedy (Speedy Gonzalas), Thursday, 1 April 2004 19:37 (twenty-two years ago)

one good thing about it is you can do this at work and not look like you're on the internet all day

― anthony kyle monday (akmonday), Thursday, 1 April 2004 19:41 (twenty-two years ago)

Becks subtle texting

― Mary (Mary), Tuesday, 6 April 2004 13:30 (twenty-two years ago)

I wonder what % of texts are sent while drunk. I used to have a phone that saved everything I sent so I could wake up the morning after and review all the things I wish I'd not said and engage in damage limitation exercises. The phone I have right now doesn't save texts I send if you don't do it right. It makes life more nerve wracking than it need be.

― stevea, Tuesday, 6 April 2004 15:30 (twenty-two years ago)

Hopefully txting would become more widespread in the face of better Movie etc etiquette.

The only people I could text in NY were Irish ex-pats.

― Andrew Farrell (afarrell), Tuesday, 6 April 2004 15:41 (twenty-two years ago)

s/Movie/cinema/

― Andrew Farrell (afarrell), Tuesday, 6 April 2004 15:41 (twenty-two years ago)

I don't actually do txtspk btw. In common with most people, I use predictive text.
-- N. (nickdastoo...), March 26th, 2004.

I thought the opposite was true. I always turn it straight off. If you use text speeak you can easily fit in twice the content I reckon. Plus it's fun, like a crossword.

― mei (mei), Tuesday, 6 April 2004 18:28 (twenty-two years ago)

I only start slipping it in if I'm short on characters. Otherwise I'm old fashioned.

― David (David), Tuesday, 6 April 2004 18:44 (twenty-two years ago)

txtspk makes me doubt the intelligence of the sender. Not if it's a close friend but I'm a snob that way sometimes. Same with texts sent in all caps.

― Ronan (Ronan), Tuesday, 6 April 2004 19:19 (twenty-two years ago)

Hey, I'm from Australia and we have the same 'obessesion' here, only it's more expensiver than the USA. It costs approximately 22 cents to send one. Now, with MMS becoming more popular, all new phones introduced to Australia are MMS capable.

― mikki_89, Monday, 12 April 2004 21:16 (twenty-one years ago)

Oh, and is a 'Blackberry' like a handheld Palm? In Australia, we don't believe in technology that looks like a house brick.

― mikki_89, Monday, 12 April 2004 21:19 (twenty-one years ago)

four years pass...

My lady friend begins every new round of text messaging after we've had a date with "hey jon" leading her first text. Discus.

― Kramkoob (Catsupppppppppppppp dude 茄蕃), Friday, 26 September 2008 19:08 (seventeen years ago)

iPhone text plans are some bullshit.

― sad man in him room (milo z), Friday, 26 September 2008 19:17 (seventeen years ago)

xp, i couldn't do that. i'm very blunt about my texting. hey ___ is usually unnecessary!

― Surmounter, Friday, 26 September 2008 19:20 (seventeen years ago)

http://www.businessweek.com/the_thread/brandnewday/archives/2008/09/texting_surpass.html?campaign_id=rss_blog_blogspotting

Texting Surpasses Calling Among Cell Phone Subscribers
Posted by: David Kiley on September 24
Nielsen just released data showing that U.S. wireless subscribers now send and receive more text messages than mobile phone calls.

― jergins, Friday, 26 September 2008 19:20 (seventeen years ago)

The only virtue of txting is that it's less annoying than calling.

― ⇧⇧⇧ (libcrypt), Friday, 26 September 2008 19:24 (seventeen years ago)

Getting txts, at least.

― ⇧⇧⇧ (libcrypt), Friday, 26 September 2008 19:24 (seventeen years ago)

People still talk to fuckin' much, tho. Blah blah blah blah is just as tiresome in txt. Just shut up a bit about yr idiotic life until you come upon something actually interesting, willya?

― ⇧⇧⇧ (libcrypt), Friday, 26 September 2008 19:27 (seventeen years ago)

My lady friend begins every new round of text messaging after we've had a date with "hey jon" leading her first text. Discus.

This means you need to do something to convince and reassure her that you actually do care enough to have put her number into your phone, and there is no risk that you'd get a text message from an unmarked number and just go "wtf, this must be addressed to someone other than me, Jon."

― nabisco, Friday, 26 September 2008 19:27 (seventeen years ago)

Or maybe not

― nabisco, Friday, 26 September 2008 19:28 (seventeen years ago)

The first post was not a joke, correct?

oh, for 2004.

― Dr Morbius, Friday, 26 September 2008 19:29 (seventeen years ago)

California outlaws txting while driving.

― ⇧⇧⇧ (libcrypt), Friday, 26 September 2008 19:30 (seventeen years ago)

I don't think I've ever addressed a person by name when I am txting them. Texting is OK but more than three texts ("Want to go out?" "Sure let's meet at 5" "OK see you then") is too much for me.

― call all destroyer, Friday, 26 September 2008 19:33 (seventeen years ago)

I finally got unlimited texting and I've sent more in the last three days than in the rest of my life combined.

― 12HOOS2012 (BIG HOOS aka the steendriver), Friday, 26 September 2008 21:17 (seventeen years ago)

Nabisco OTM. On our last date she told me that she didn't think that I was going to call her again…!

― Kramkoob (Catsupppppppppppppp dude 茄蕃), Friday, 26 September 2008 21:32 (seventeen years ago)

iPhone text plans are some bullshit.

― sad man in him room (milo z), Friday, September 26, 2008 3:17 PM (2 hours ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

tru

― Barack HUSSEIN Obama (max), Friday, 26 September 2008 21:33 (seventeen years ago)

They'd be shit even if they were MMS (lol)

― Kramkoob (Catsupppppppppppppp dude 茄蕃), Friday, 26 September 2008 21:35 (seventeen years ago)

Ahahaha. Welcome, America, to the overhyped world of texting.

― You should be an artist, in in your shower. (Autumn Almanac), Friday, 26 September 2008 21:55 (seventeen years ago)

I read her greeting as HEN JOY.

― Abbott, Saturday, 27 September 2008 00:17 (seventeen years ago)

You should sit on a tram/train here, seriously, like 60% of the people will have their thumbs glued to their phones SMSing people. But you can get cheap plans with unlimited messages, so I can see why.

And at least txt means you dont have to put up with people on public transport talking VERY LOUDLY INTO THEIR PHONESand having some painfully personal conversation no one wants to hear. Why do people do that shit? It makes me want to butt in and have an opinion on what they're saying. After all, they obviously dont care that everyone else knows they fucked some ugly guy last night and then vomited into his bathtub.

― Trayce, Saturday, 27 September 2008 01:16 (seventeen years ago)

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed a bill Wednesday that will prohibit California drivers from text messaging beginning Jan. 1. He signed Senate Bill 28, authored by Joe Simitian, D-Palo Alto, that bans the use of an electronic wireless communications device to write, send, or read a text-based communication while driving a motor vehicle. There will be a fine of $20 for a first offense and $50 for each subsequent offense.

oh shooting a cyborg in a lorry massive gun whilst on a bike is fine, but texting while driving is not!

― ILX Systern (ken c), Saturday, 27 September 2008 01:20 (seventeen years ago)

Txting/talking on mobile phone while driving's been an offense here for some years now I think. As it should be.

― Trayce, Saturday, 27 September 2008 01:28 (seventeen years ago)

$20, i think it's about $225 in Australia.

― wilter, Saturday, 27 September 2008 02:48 (seventeen years ago)

well in Queensland anyway

― wilter, Saturday, 27 September 2008 02:48 (seventeen years ago)

Unless there's...I dunno, a meeting, a sensitive situation, just call! Anything else feels like we're playing weird cutesy high school games. Calls don't cost much What's not to talk about?

― paulhw, Saturday, 27 September 2008 03:27 (seventeen years ago)

sometimes all you need is a quick answer to one question, no need for a full conversation

― 12HOOS2012 (BIG HOOS aka the steendriver), Saturday, 27 September 2008 03:36 (seventeen years ago)

Calls cost loads here until recently. I think that's why texting took off so long ago.

― You should be an artist, in in your shower. (Autumn Almanac), Saturday, 27 September 2008 03:55 (seventeen years ago)

Yeah I got that impression as well, though I'm not sure how it bears out in practice, when you think people can get into a sms fest, so 10c per text adds up to more than a 5 min call. But again, I guess the free text thing helps.

― Trayce, Saturday, 27 September 2008 05:58 (seventeen years ago)

Calls are absurdly expensive here, and texts are not. If you want to reach me on my cell, please txt. Even though my new phone's txting interface is ass.

― Casuistry, Saturday, 27 September 2008 17:20 (seventeen years ago)

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