Text Messaging Addictions

[Kati Compton]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=581&e=5&u=/nm/20031004/tc_nm/life_text_dc' target='_blank'>http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tm...nm/life_text_dc</a><br /><br /></div>How much time do you spend text messaging friends? Acquaintances? Enemies?<br /><br />Would you say you are addicted? I'm not. Really. I can quit any time I want. I'm serious! Why don't you believe me??? ;)<br /><br />The head of a clinic in Britain stated that they have some patients they are treating that text message for <i>seven</i> hours a day. The article didn't say if these were weekend days or during the work week...<br /><br />Obviously a large segment of PPCT readers are addicted to technology in one form or another. But are you addicted to text messaging? How long are your "buddy lists"? How much of your day do you spend chatting?

[Gremmie]

I'm not addicted, it's just that it takes me seven hours to type a message.

[Pat Logsdon]

I hardly ever text message. I don't have any of the clients installed on any of my home PC's, and I only have the standard Lotus Notes "Sametime Connect" client installed at work.

I don't even have a cell phone, so I don't SMS, either. :)

It's not that I'm a Luddite or that I don't have any friends - I just can't be bothered with it.

[dean_shan]

Somedays I will spend 4-5 IM people. I wouldn't say I'm addicted, just somedays I talk to a lot of friends.

[ctmagnus]

I don't particularly go for this kind of stuff. I prefer good, old-fashioned email. :wink:

[madbart]

I use both IM and SMS Daily.

I would send over 200 SMS's per month and be on the instant messenger for at least an hour per day both to clients & family. :lol:

[Janak Parekh]

Kati, you should have made a poll about this :D

I IM a fair amount, both for "business" and for "friends" -- potentially hours a day. I do also SMS a few messages per day. I guess my life requires that I be connected. ;)

FWIW, I have 100+ "buddies" 8O

--janak

[mclaughlinc]

You would think this is something that teenagers and young adults are doing. Well I have to admit I have a group of friends and family that trade messages 4 or 5 times a day. The ages of these people range from 33 to 56. So it's not allays young people who adopt new technology first. (I say new because it has only only been around for about 3 years here in the states).

I really see MMS messages becoming big as soon as more people have MMS enabled phones.

[Myrddin]

I don't even have a cell phone, so I don't SMS, either.
I think we're in the minority in the developed world. I do not own a cell phone either. I have never owned a cell phone, and unless forced for certain reasons (for a great job or for 'special' circumstances) I hope I never will.

I have never sent a SMS. It's not that I don't have friends, it's just that I find this method of communicating so stupid.

I use IM programs on the internet, mostly for work purposes though (Jabber).

Leading from this, I hope there are always handhelds that don't force me to carry a phone built in... I hope standalone handhelds will always exist!

[ppcsurfr]

addicted? who's addicted? It;s just a form of communication...

If you send 30 messages out to about 10 people a day... hat would only be about 3messages per person... multiply that by 30 days... you get 900 messages sent.

I hit at an average about 1000 messages a month.

It's just normal.

Think of each message as a sentence spoken. Any dif?

Mabuhay! ~ Carlo

[Casio Collector]

Hi,

Well, I find that IM can be a lifesaver. Here in the UK, it is quite expensive for children and teenagers (me included) to find the money to continually call people (even so i still send about 6-10 messages a day.) I find that texting has been a real lifesaver, and is much more useful than in phone call in most instances.

IM however has saved me millions :D I have about 140 contacts - a few of which live in America, Canada.... and this allows me to keep in touch with them with no additional cost. The other benfit is when you are online, you can talk to more than one person at once, and have group conversations. I have also tried both video and audio conversations, and these can be very useful.

As a student, this really does allow me to keep in touch with all my friends with great ease, and without tying up the phone and wasting my parents phone bill!

Timothy Monger-Godfrey

[TopDog]

I don't SMS much at all... hate thumbing on my small phone.

..but I IM a lot. Have MSN Messenger (it's really becoming the standard IM tool here in Norway) at work, and Kopete(Linux-client) at home. I use it both for friends and coworkers in other countries.

[jeffmd]

I dont sms or IM either. If I wanna chat, I goto IRC. text messaging is too one on one, it's just more interesting and easier to have everyone able to chat with each other in one big room.

[iant54]

Having seen the speed some people enter text into their 'phones with their thumbs, I would have thought that their main problem would have been arthritis in their joints!

[Philip Colmer]

I very rarely use SMS - it is too cumbersome to enter the message (even with predictive text) and I won't use the language-cripppling shortcuts that other people like.

I do use IM, but principally to allow colleagues to see when I am online and therefore available. In fact, one of my best friends waits to see me sign in and then rings me :-)

I much prefer email over the above options.

--Philip

[Kevin C. Tofel]

I don't IM or SMS......no particular reason other than I just haven't seen the need. E-mail and cell phone w\VM keep me accessible to all either for work or personal. No one has ever said to me in the past few years: "I wish I could have gotten you a message....."

KCT

[xendula]

I am really grateful that I live in these times. Having friends all over the world, SMSing helps keep in touch with all of them. It's instant communication no matter where sender and recipient are, whether in class, at work or still in bed. I can even SMS while driving since I don't need to look at the keypad any more.
I even used to use a combination of SMS and IM. I would SMS people to come online so we can chat. But I hate having to "hide" when I am online but too busy to talk. It makes me feel like I am a bad friend, so, lately, I have not even started the MSN Messenger any more, even though I love to chat with my friends that way.

[Kati Compton]

Personally, I don't SMS at all, but I IM quite a bit. When I don't want to be disturbed (and I remember...) I just set my status to "Away".

I have some friends where my primary method of communication is through IMing.

[Janak Parekh]

Personally, I don't SMS at all, but I IM quite a bit. When I don't want to be disturbed (and I remember...) I just set my status to "Away".
Or "Busy", or thereabouts. Besides, with really good friends, I can just tell them I'm busy, and they'll listen. I have one that doesn't listen, so I just ignore him with he IMs me if I'm busy, and he has to deal with it. ;)

--janak

[kwerner]

What do people around the world pay for SMS? Friends visiting Europe said people over there are constantly sending SMS msgs.

I wish the Cell companies would throw in unlimited incoming SMS for free, and a small fee for outgoing (&lt; $0.10). I like text alerts for weather/sports/news so free incoming would be nice. For some reason, they market the heck out of picture phones which I just can't understand. I've never seen anyone use this feature, but it is advertised during all the big TV shows/games. Are these picture messages MMS or something else?

SMS really hasn't caught on in the US from what I've seen. I'd love to use it more, but only a couple people I know actually have/use SMS on their phone. I still have friends who reply to my emails with voice phone calls. SprintPCS (which a few friends use) doesn't even seem to have real SMS. They get a quick notice of incoming message, but then have to log onto mobile internet (very slow) to read the message it seems like.

If we ever get some Bluetooth phones here in the US (or decent GSM coverage), you can use your BT PocketPC to send SMS through the BT phone. I think there are a couple apps that do this, any free ones?

[Brad Adrian]

I have one that doesn't listen, so I just ignore him with he IMs me if I'm busy, and he has to deal with it. ;)
...that doesn't mean I deal with it WELL!

[Kati Compton]

I wish the Cell companies would throw in unlimited incoming SMS for free, and a small fee for outgoing (&lt; $0.10).
Virgin Mobile has incoming for free AFAIK, and I think Cingular might also. Anyway - I know I got one when I was on Cingular, and I didn't get charged. ;)

I think outgoing for Virgin Mobile is something like $0.20, but since I don't use it, I don't know for sure.

[bjornkeizers]

I've read about this in a Dutch newspaper.. I'm not particularly worried about this trend. It happens, I guess. I never text people or use IM programs all that much. But then again, I am a bit paranoid about my privacy and whom I talk to...

[TopDog]

I wish the Cell companies would throw in unlimited incoming SMS for free, and a small fee for outgoing (&lt; $0.10). You guys "over there" pay for incoming SMS???

Here in Scandinavia prices for SMS is about the prices you mention here, and sometimes cheaper...

[kwerner]

I wish the Cell companies would throw in unlimited incoming SMS for free, and a small fee for outgoing (&lt; $0.10). You guys "over there" pay for incoming SMS???

It varies, my current AT&amp;T TDMA plan has free unlimited incoming SMS, $0.10 outgoing. I'm looking for a new phone/servie and it seems like most don't have this type of SMS package. SprintPCS has the text message included with internet for $15 /month. Verizon has txt &amp; picture messaging for $5 a month (how is Verizon's text messenging, real SMS?). I forget what the others were.

[Janak Parekh]

...that doesn't mean I deal with it WELL!
Don't worry, Brad, you're nowhere near the annoying level of SOME of my IM "buddies". ;)

Verizon has txt & picture messaging for $5 a month (how is Verizon's text messenging, real SMS?). I forget what the others were.
Verizon does offer "real" incoming and mobile-originating SMS, just like any GSM phone. It isn't that expensive to buy a bucket, but yes, they do charge for incoming. This may change as the popularity of SMS increases here (and it is increasing steadily by the day).

--janak

[Kati Compton]

...that doesn't mean I deal with it WELL!
Don't worry, Brad, you're nowhere near the annoying level of SOME of my IM "buddies". ;)
What are you saying??? ;)

[Janak Parekh]

What are you saying??? ;)
I refuse to name names, but it's not any Pocket PC Thoughts team member. You will note that I referred to a "him". Happy already? ;)

--janak

[xendula]

In Europe ALL phones can send and receive SMSes, be it contract or prepaid. Incoming messages are ALWAYS free (as are incoming calls), and you don't have to PAY EXTRA just to have the SMS option.
No matter what provider I use, all my friends will get all of my messages. I heard that in the US you have to pay extra every month just to be able to send SMSes (you have to have a certain SMS plan or what-not), and you can then only SMS users of the same network. If that's true, no wonder SMS is not a big thing over there.
An SMS in Germany is between 7.5 and 20 cents. MMS is more expensive, and since most people don't own MMS capable phones, it did not quite take off yet.

What I just said is true for Germany and the countries I visited, so I assume it's the same all over Europe.
---
As to IM, I know you can set your status on away or busy, but it would still make me feel like an a** if I ignored friends that log on.

[MitzEclipse]

I have unlimited text messaging on my T-Mobile USA account so I use about 1,500 text messages a month on the average. I text primarily on my 7250.

I IM on aim, yahoo, and msn all the time as well (thanks for Trillian) but it's really cool to use aim via mobile phones using text messaging - especially where I'm somewhere without a dedicated connection.

[Janak Parekh]

No matter what provider I use, all my friends will get all of my messages. I heard that in the US you have to pay extra every month just to be able to send SMSes (you have to have a certain SMS plan or what-not), and you can then only SMS users of the same network. If that's true, no wonder SMS is not a big thing over there.
Incoming SMS may not be free here, but it's not expensive if you get a bucket. Intercarrier SMS now works perfectly, which solves that problem and makes SMS much more practical here.

--janak

[xendula]

Sounds like things have finally changed then. Still, the thought of having to pay for incoming messages :bad-words:

[Janak Parekh]

Sounds like things have finally changed then. Still, the thought of having to pay for incoming messages :bad-words:
That's life here. We pay for incoming minutes as well. That's what happens when you have a powerful landline lobby which doesn't want to give up calling party pays, because if they do many people won't have an incentive to keep a landline.

It'll change someday, but probably not that soon.

--janak

[kwerner]

Sweeeet.... I just used my friends Ericsson T68 with AT&T GSM/GPRS service, to send/receive SMS on my iPaq via Bluetooth :-) Used this cool free program... http://www.siedler-net.de/WinCE/easySMS/

It's all coming together, just need to find phone/service :-)

[dean_shan]

I IM on aim, yahoo, and msn all the time as well (thanks for Trillian).

All hail Trillian! :werenotworthy:

[xendula]

Sweeeet.... I just used my friends Ericsson T68 with AT&T GSM/GPRS service, to send/receive SMS on my iPaq via Bluetooth :-) Used this cool free program... http://www.siedler-net.de/WinCE/easySMS/

It's all coming together, just need to find phone/service :-)
But, but, isn't that more complicated than if you had just used the phone itself?????!!

[TopDog]

Sweeeet.... I just used my friends Ericsson T68 with AT&T GSM/GPRS service, to send/receive SMS on my iPaq via Bluetooth :-) Used this cool free program... http://www.siedler-net.de/WinCE/easySMS/

It's all coming together, just need to find phone/service :-)
But, but, isn't that more complicated than if you had just used the phone itself?????!!Not always... I use EasySMS when I am at meetings and conferences... alway dig up my Pocket PC and Pocketop Keyboard to take notes, and have my bluetooth-enabled mobile on silent in my pants.

When I feel a vibration, I just use EasySMS to pick up the message on the PocketPC and reply. No one notices that I have my mind elsewhere :-)

[xendula]

SOOOO sometimes your pants vibrate? :lol:

But seriously, BT I can see now, but to connect to your cell via IR to SMS..?!

[kwerner]

SOOOO sometimes your pants vibrate? :lol:

But seriously, BT I can see now, but to connect to your cell via IR to SMS..?!

Yeah, this would not be as good with IR, Bluetooth is what makes it cool. Like TopDog said, don't even have to get the phone out. I prefer writing with transccriber/mini-soft-keyboard/grafiti over typing on a phone keypad any day. With PPC and EasySMS you can write real messages instead of "wat r u up 2".