A couple of weeks ago, The Economist published an article on why texting hasn’t taken off in the States. And I think it’s wrong.
"The short answer is that, in America, talk is cheap …Texting first took off in other parts of the world among cost-conscious teenagers who found that it was cheaper to text than to call, notes Jessica Sandin, an analyst at Baskerville. But in America, you might as well make a voice call."
I think that misses the point. Text messaging isn’t a replacement for talking on the phone – it’s another part of the spectrum of communication methods possible, perhaps sitting closer to email and voice mail, than the traditional synchronous phone call. The ‘fire and forget’ capability of the text message is its huge advantage, allowing sender and receiver to process the information when they see fit. This is entirely different.
That’s not to say I for one don’t have text ‘conversations’ which are as lengthy and rich as many voice calls, involving numerous calls and responses. However, the ability to multitask while texting is another huge advantage over the synchronous voice call.
The article makes more sense when saying that IM has taken off amongst American kids instead. Although, again, the mobile aspect of texting (which IM can’t augment yet, with some notable bleeding edge exceptions) is a killer aspect. The main reason texting hasn’t taken off in the States is surely, and simply, the lack of interoperability, which the article cites as a secondary influence.
Better summary of mobile usage (in the UK at least) here, though doesn’t go into texting much.
From the US, while new phones (and their accompanying rings) are popular, I can see why text messaging may not be. I do believe they fill two seperate niches, but I hear every day (esp. from one cheap friend) how “I can’t talk to you… Just message me!” I think that it is a matter of scale… There is not enough popularity in the states to allow for widespread use. For me, I have no idea how to use the SMS feature on my phone. And, the cheap price of calls isnt any incentive to figure it out.
Have to respectfully disagree. Obviously there are a variety of factors to the lack of texting in the US, but I think the economist is right, the biggest factor is by far the cost of calls.
As for interoperability, I don’t think its nearly the issue you make it out to be. I don’t know a single person in the States who has even bothered to try and text more then once or twice. No one has gotten to the point where they know that its even an issue.
Its an issue of interface, and the fact is phones are far better suited for calling then writing. Typing on 9 button keyboard is simply a pain. And if the phone call is free, why bother even trying to learn the annoying alternative?
Case to point, what the Economist failed to mention is that a sizable number of Americans use two way pagers. Which is basically texting with another name and standard. And another interface. Two ways come with Blackberry style keyboards (actually a Blackberry is a high end two way pager with a good email interface). And they blow away SMS on a numberboard in terms of usability.
So what really is going on is that the core audience for texting is using an alternative product, and the larger casual audience can’t be bothered due to the fact that the calls are virtually free due to the structure of American pricing plans. Add in that it actually costs more to SMS then to make a call on many characters and you can see why people don’t bother to text. If the demand for texting existed, believe me the interoperability would have been solved way sooner. It just never got to the point where people cared.
What is really interesting is the near future. IM is starting to emerge on the next generation of phones/handhelds. And it takes the interoperability to the next level, merging the handheld with the computer for a dramatically larger userbase. There is a strong potential for the US market leapfrogging the EU one very soon…
I come from a fairly affluent area, and as I said, I do very little text messaging myself, and the prices could be steep. Also, I think there might be a generation gap which I might not have made obvious earlier. I am a member of Generation Y, in high-school right now. As far as technology goes, I am pretty geeky. All of these factors place me at the forefront of most new technologies. I cannot simply say texting was ignored… I know for a fact that a portion of my school uses it. Texting is also a slightly different niche than a call. When I have meetings for a local club, a text message is sent out as a way to inform many people without the stupid telephone fanout. Errr… I guess my point is: Texting is making a difference, slowly but surely, where I am; and texting is not just a alternative to a call.
And so, a few years later, The Economist reports that texting has finally taken off in America.