Today, Chris sent over an interesting fact from Gartner research.
Apparently, a college grad today uses 98.4% of text relative to 1.6% on voice for a cell phone.
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While we can't determine causation or correlation, I would assume it has something to do with the cost of voice minutes as compared to unlimited texting; that and the ease of texting, particularly due to the lack of thought required.
Unfortunately, there is an entire generation that has not learned proper phone etiquette. I went to a party that my 14 year old sister hosted, and there were groups of kids standing around, each of them with their phones out while they were talking to each other. They were texting and zoning out while their friends without phones tried talking to them. The entire conversation centered around what was being texted.
Verbal conversation requires articulation and thought on a more immediate basis than a brief text with misspelled words does.
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Although I definitely fall into the category of someone who texts regularly, I feel as if there is a gap even between my younger sisters and myself.
Actually, I know there is a gap because we share a phone plan and my monthly text total is less than 50% of theirs.
Maybe it has something to do with the fact that we spent the 90s talking on the phone every night to our girlfriends, until we got in trouble for tying up the phone line. The first thing we did when we got home from school was run to the message machine to check the tape for messages. We had no access to a cell phone - outside of the "family plan" for calling in case of emergencies.
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In middle school, I remember thinking it made so much sense, when I heard that one of my guy friends had written a list of topics on a sheet of paper before calling a girl he liked. He prepared himself so he wouldn't sound stupid when they ran out of things to talk about.
I guess my age group was right in that transition phase where we had phones as teens but we grew up without texting or Facebook. The most immediate communication we had was via AIM when our parents let us tie up the phone line (until they realized they needed a second line just for the internet!).
Cher was so glamorous in Clueless because she and Dion had their own phones and could use them whenever they wanted.
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A lot of younger kids I know don't even like calling to order a pizza, they opt for online ordering.
As we go forward, will talking on the phone become obsolete? If so, what implications will that have?
It will be interesting to see how things play out. Think about how awkward you were when you were younger. Think about those awkward pictures, those awkward comments, those awkward moments, those awkward romances.
Now think about how instant communication has become. Now think about how quickly things can be made public. Now think about how all those pictures can be texted and forwarded and posted on Facebook. Now think about the lack of judgement young teens have...or any teens for that matter.
I guess, I wonder what the benefit is for these kids?
Yes, they are learning how to be tech savvy, and yes, many parents are getting better at learning what to monitor as information becomes more public, but there's almost unlimited access to instant information and communication.
How effective can parents actually be?
