How many text messages?

atlcomedy's Avatar
I had a colleague tell me today that his college aged daughter averages about 4500 text messages a month. That's 150 a day! She has an unlimited plan so it isn't an issue financially but still I was blown away. Technically she isn't permitted to text while in class and she has to sleep some. You pick the math you want to do but it works out to a text every few minutes all the time during waking, no class hours....

I consider myself a pretty "regular" texter but I average about 100 or so a month if that....

Is this typical of the school aged crowd?
IDK about the number, but my nephew was on a per text account a couple of years ago when the parents got a bill for over $200 in texts. They switched plans immediately and the co forgave a portion of the bill (good PR, I think).

But texts tend to be pretty short (hi; howya doin; c ya; etc.). Not me, when I text it often times goes to 2 texts to hold my whole text. Ugh!
Good gravy. Maybe I'm out of touch with the younger set (*adjusts dentures, shakes cane*), but that sounds like a LOT!

I average around 150 - 200 a month on my civvie phone, maybe up to 10/month on my batphone, and the latter are generally only for letting someone know I'm on my way (and only then if it's someone I know it's okay to text instead of call).
Sisyphus's Avatar
Good gravy. Maybe I'm out of touch with the younger set (*adjusts dentures, shakes cane*), but that sounds like a LOT!

I average around 150 - 200 a month on my civvie phone, maybe up to 10/month on my batphone, and the latter are generally only for letting someone know I'm on my way (and only then if it's someone I know it's okay to text instead of call). Originally Posted by Carrie Hillcrest
[stabilizes self on walker in order to summon energy to make point passionately]

I hate to break it you folks...the numbers from alt-C's colleague may be on the LOW side of average. I'm pretty sure there were months that either one of my kids blew through that number. If nothing were to be withheld, it's become my...[gasp]...most prevalent form of communication. I'm not a fan of talking on the phone & I'm often not in front of my computer to email.

I actually send/receive quite a few each month....
500 - 1000 a month.
OneHotMale's Avatar
Well I guess this just proves that I am out of touch with the modern day technological world as I refuse to have text on any of my phones. Hey the way I look at it is if you want to talk to me then just call. If I can answer I will and if I am busy just leave me a message and I will call you back. Has worked for me for the longest time.
WTF's Avatar
  • WTF
  • 04-18-2011, 08:51 PM
Well I guess this just proves that I am out of touch with the modern day technological world as I refuse to have text on any of my phones. Originally Posted by OneHotMale

Shit you SA boys still communicate by smoke signals!

Speaking of smoke....WTF happened to the Spurs?
CarolinaGent's Avatar
From what I've seen, texting has taken over for actually talking to each other for the younger generation. My nieces have phones but I have yet to see them talk on them. They pretty much just use them for texts.

I used to average about 300-400 texts a month, but lately I've increased greatly to 800-1000 per month. Before a good 75% were work related, but now its 75% personal.
I text anywhere between 100 and 300 texts per day, usually around 5k texts a month.

Go me! LOL

I detest talking on the phone and absolutely refuse to do it (RL and hobby). I absolutely LOVE to talk face to face, just not on the phone.
cptjohnstone's Avatar
I have a 62yo buddy that 3/4's of our communications are text but he has a teenage son that has taught him to drop all the vowels to shorten the text, some I have to read 4-5 times to figure it out

but when you are watching tv or whatever it can make sense but not when you driving
discreetgent's Avatar
slow months 500, busy months 1500-2000
OneHotMale's Avatar
Shit you SA boys still communicate by smoke signals!

Speaking of smoke....WTF happened to the Spurs? Originally Posted by WTF


Heck yeah we still use smoke signals and even some of us more advanced San Antonioans use a bat signal at night to communicate. And all will be well in Spurs land once Manu is back. Memphis has played us well this year though but it should be the Spurs in 6. Glad you reminded me as I gotta get all my chit done so as to be at game 2.
Well I guess this just proves that I am out of touch with the modern day technological world as I refuse to have text on any of my phones. Hey the way I look at it is if you want to talk to me then just call. If I can answer I will and if I am busy just leave me a message and I will call you back. Has worked for me for the longest time. Originally Posted by OneHotMale
+1.
I hate text messages.
The FrenchGuy's Avatar
ALL I do it's texting, but mainly for two reasons:
1. Most of my buddies like to text 24/7. I guess it's a common phenomenon among college students like the OP mentioned.
2. Due to my heavy accent most people can't hear when I talk on the phone, which is usually frustrating for me and sometimes for the person I am talking to.
So here we go, let's just text bud

AVG. 100-300/month
hell i think people have become text crazy...my daughter ( 26 ) would rather text than talk and her bill shows well over 4000 to 6000 texts a month .
you have to be constantly texting throughout the day to do that..Omg !
Im 54 and i looked at my bill the other day and i now have well over a 1000 because the peolpe i do business with depend on it to get hold of me when im in the field and of course communications with my daughter are mainly texts.
the way we communicate has steadily changed over the last decade and you either have to adapt to the change or get left behind.
20 yrs ago i would of never thought id be using an air card or texting out in the field and i wonder what the next 20 yrs will have us doing ?
where are pay phones? lol you never see them anymore
where are faxes headed to now that we have email !
dont get me wrong i like the changes for the most part and it has made my job easier and how in the world would you get hold of your favorite provider without text?
its adapt to change or die !! lol...