Mobile messaging trends
March 14, 2005 by Mike Wendland
There’s a whole bunch of interesting tech stories today on the use of mobile phone messaging. First, this Reuters piece looks at the difference between European and U.S. mobile phone users, noting how much more popular mobile messaging is in Europe.
But messaging is growing fast here, too.
America Online is expanding its mobile services to work with more cell phone providers. They new features involve pictures, traffic and mapping information sent to cell phone through the AOL Instant Messaging interface.
But before you get too keen on AOL’s AIM, you may want to read this story about changes in the terms of service that seems to say the company “owns” any information users send. Though AOL clarified it’s position as word of this began spreading across the Net today to say it won’t be snooping on user-to-user traffic, there’s now lots of understandable skepticism.
Then, a new survey from the Pew Internet & American Life Project says about 134 million American adults have cell phones and 27% of them say they have used the text message feature on those phones within the past month. That represents 34 million people.
The study says most likely cell phone texters are in Generation Y (ages 18-27). Fully 63% of those with cell phones in that cohort are texters, compared to 31% of cell phone owners in Generation X (ages 28-39), 18% of cell phone owners among younger Baby Boomers (age 40-49), 13% of cell phone owners among older Baby Boomers (ages 50-58), and 7% of cell phone owners among those over age 60.
And as more evidence that messaging is hot, Research In Motion, the makers of the uber-popular BlackBerry, announces today a deal with Yahoo! to pre-install full-color, graphical Yahoo! Messenger clients on BlackBerry devices in the coming months. RIM is also working with AOL.
Young people, typically the 14-25 set, have led the charge in messaging. The demographics of BB users skew much older. But if they are now having it built into their addictive little CrackBerry machines, there ust be some strong indications that the trend is broadening.
Readers of this blog tend to be older. Just how much do you use mobile phione messaging? And how?
In regards to the story, SMS really comes in handy when I am on the road in Europe. As an Air Force pilot, I am frequently flying through Europe and the middle east. The GSM standard is very helpful in that my T610 works no matter where I am, whether it be Germany, or Qatar. Its handy to tell my wife that I am flying a particular day and/or when I will be landing and where.
I don’t recall ever using phone messaging. Maybe it’s because I don’t understand the rationale of playing with tiny keys to pound out a message, when I could simply call the person and if they’re not available, leave a voice mail. I used to get text messages from a boss, and I’d usually wind up calling him anyway to talk about what he had just messaged me. I don’t understand the fascination with it, and I’m usually an early tech adopter. I’ve had personal computers continuously since 1983, I got my first cell phone in 1993 (when people would point at the gadget hanging from my belt), and I’ve been landline free for four years. I had a laser printer in 1993, when a 300dpi printer cost $800, on sale. I’m also definitely a boomer; I’ll be 58 in three months.
Text messaging is about respecting the time of others. Like email, a text message does not require your immediate attention like a phone call is likely to. If your boss calls you on the phone, you are likely to think you should answer. If he sends you an SMS text message, an implied part of that message is that it is an item that, while important, does not require your immediate attention.
It’s an ettiquite thing.