Have you heard about this new think you can do with mobile phones? You can type a message using a complicated algorithm that relates the numbers on your phone's keypad to letters, and send that message to another person's phone! They will instantly receive the message and can reply, ignore, etc. All this is available for the low low cost of about $5 a month or $0.05 per message, and it's known as "texting". Wow!
I'd never owned a mobile phone until I moved to England in 2005, when a cab driver gave me one that he had in a shoebox at his mother's house (that's another story). I quickly learned that to survive in the rough and tumble social world of the UK, I would need to learn to text. I did one handed drills until I could touch-text at 65 words per minute. I learned a lot from my housemate Elle, who could text, cook dinner, and carry on a conversation all at the same time.
You see, the great thing about texts is that you don't have to actually talk to someone to get your message through. This is helpful in loud environments, or when dealing with someone with a very annoying voice (I think that's why my sister started texting). It's a low-commitment form of communication, great for weaseling out of awkward situations, or for trying to get yourself invited along somewhere. It leaves the textee free to ignore the message, allowing them to later claim that they did not receive it in time. That way, they can reject your request without the embarrassment of saying it out loud. This is a potent form of social lubrication, because neither the texter nor the textee wants to have that conversation.
Then there's the paper trail aspect - I'd much rather receive addresses, names, directions, etc in text form. I don't have a great memory, but when it's written in 1's and 0's on my SIM card, I can always refer back to it later.
Sometimes you just don't want a conversation. That's what texts are for. I know there are those of you who self-righteously cling to your no-text mobile plan, whether you claim it's about the money or the lack of dignity in text-based communication. Sirs and Madams, that's fine. Cling to the old ways. But you'll come around, and when you do, you'll curse yourself for missing out on the joys of texting for so long.
Comments (17)
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Posted on September 10, 2010 23:32
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Posted on September 12, 2010 08:41
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Posted on September 13, 2010 10:24
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Posted on September 24, 2010 07:32
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Posted on September 25, 2010 01:59
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Posted on September 27, 2010 15:53
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Posted on September 29, 2010 20:10
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Posted on September 29, 2010 20:18
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Posted on September 30, 2010 20:06
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Posted on September 30, 2010 20:28
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Posted on October 4, 2010 21:24
I wasn't going to comment as this post was written a while ago, but I found myself asking a lot of questions when I read it. I think it is important to find the blogs that you read regularly and stay involved in the discussion in a regular, relevant and timely manner. So I'll be back and see whether you'll be answering :o).
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Posted on October 6, 2010 13:36
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Posted on October 31, 2010 00:12