# Text Messaging



## MedicPrincess (Jul 17, 2008)

I have a confession.  I should probably stand up and say...

"Hi.  I'm Princess.  I'm addicted to Text Messaging."

Seriously, how many of you find yourself sending a text to someone before you will call them?  If someone calls me on the phone, I am only likely to answer and speak with them about 50% of the time.  If that same person sends me a text msg to tell me the same thing they would call me over....about 99% of the time they are likely to get a reply.

I would text message my reports to the hospitals if there was a way to do it.

Last month I had just under 2000 incoming messages and right at 1900 outgoing messages.  That was a slow month.  I am up to about 1800 each for this month.

When I switched to Alltel, my only requirement for my phone was the QWERTY keyboard.... so my thumb doesn't cramp when texting 

Anyone else find they would rather send a quick text than pick up the phone and have to have the conversation with someone?


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## Hastings (Jul 17, 2008)

Definitely.

Plus it's a great way to communicate while at work, while in service but between calls.

Edit: I just ordered a new phone, and I paid an extra 50 dollars just so it would have a QWERTY keyboard.


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## rhan101277 (Jul 17, 2008)

I don't text message much, just several times a day.  Somedays I don't text at all, then again I work on the stuff, so I guess I am sick of it.


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## firetender (Jul 17, 2008)

The whole cell-phone/text messaging/Blackberry whateveritis is of the Devil.

In this world we are bombarded every moment with DATA being sent by elsewhere -- keeping us away from our experience of our immediate environment IN THE MOMENT. To add heaps of this INFOCRAP that we then inflict on each other as a substitute for REAL connection will, eventually, drive us into a dependent loneliness that will drive us away from the simple art of being with another human being.

When I walk down the street and see person after person blabbing away on their cells or tripping as they type I realize that there is little chance for us to connect as human beings, for the *Digitizer* is not present in the same world I am.

A good 80% of what we treat as medics is driven by the dissociation that is felt between the individual and the other humans around him/her: A loss of personal connection to others and the environment.

I'd love you, at the end of your day, to print out the text messages you've received and sent and then tell me where you were and what was happening around you, who you were with and how you were affected by those moments of your life.

Then, tell me about the world you were living in. Were you living in time, or just killing it, and with it the days of your life?

Love,
Firetender


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## VentMedic (Jul 17, 2008)

firetender said:


> *Were you living in time, or just killing it, and with it the days of your life?*



Now that is the best question to ponder concerning the cell phone and text messaging.  

It actually applies to any aspect of our lives.


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## mikeylikesit (Jul 17, 2008)

i don't text at all. i can have a 30 second phone conversation and get out more than i could if i sent 200 texts. it fights boredom and you can talk to people that you don't want to at your convenience, but that's about it.


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## VentMedic (Jul 17, 2008)

My biggest pet peeve is when parents are both texting and have their iPODs in their ears while their kids are playing in traffic. 

People forget to spend real time with those who are right in front of them.  Thus, the skill of face to face communication is lost.


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## Ridryder911 (Jul 17, 2008)

Sorry, I don't get it. Why would anyone want to waste the time of text messaging, when one could just call or even ask in person? I have seen people sitting side by side texting..? It makes NO sense!.. seriously.

Want to see a nation of illiterates that fail to be able to communicate verbally? Just wait... 

Try to carry on a verbal conversation with many of those  of ages < 30 and see what occurs. Notice the attention span and then watch how many times you are interrupted for someone to have t-e-x-t something back immediately!.. and no it is not an emergency.. it's an addiction. 

Now, I realize I am getting senile, but seriously folks, what is so important? What could you not wait until you reach home and discuss verbally?  I hear of parents describing having thousands of minutes used texting.. and when one does the mathematics on that .. it comes down to many are texting several hundred times an hour.. and we wonder why they don't have verbal and language skills? 

I can understand wanting to inform someone on a quick matter or not wanting to interrupt them on the phone..but to just sit around text all day as I have seen some of my employees do.. geez.. Well, they they get a chance to get busy..


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## WuLabsWuTecH (Jul 17, 2008)

if i have something to find out now, i'll call.  If its not immediate, I text so they can reply at their convinience.  Being at college where sleep hours can be any hour, if its not important I'll text first to make sure i won't wake them if they are asleep.  I keep my phone on when asleep so if there is something urgent I can attend to it, but text on vibrate so if its not important now, i'll call you back/text you back later.

Txting saves me from boredom when posted/staged somewhere between runs.  I need to go the the library and get some more books!


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## MSDeltaFlt (Jul 17, 2008)

Ridryder911 said:


> Sorry, I don't get it. Why would anyone want to waste the time of text messaging, when one could just call or even ask in person? I have seen people sitting side by side texting..? It makes NO sense!.. seriously.
> 
> Want to see a nation of illiterates that fail to be able to communicate verbally? Just wait...
> 
> ...



I believe that's what separates us over 30 from those younger than 30.  Texting is great for sending a little note so as not to interrupt them, or for something that is not that important.  However, entire conversations done with texts is completely ludicrous.  For it is very difficult to text or type tone of voice.  It would be alot easier to actually *use* tone of voice.

Not to mention the fact that all that texting disassociates you from those with whom you are communicating; all the while losing *any* grasp of the English language with regards to grammar and mechanics.

They end up not knowing their own language.


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## MMiz (Jul 17, 2008)

At the end of the school year I organized a students vs. staff basketball game.  The email read, "During the halftime there will be a students vs. staff tug-of-war, bicycle relay, and text-message-a-thon (jk idk lol).  I got about 30 emails back asking where the vowels go in the last three words.

Kids these days!


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## CFRBryan347768 (Jul 17, 2008)

I love my text messaging; close to 2300 mesages a month. LOL


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## firetender (Jul 18, 2008)

...at least there are some left who haven't been replaced by the Pods!

(OMIGOD!: IPods and the Pods that replaced the people in...what the hell was the name of that 1950's flick -- got re-made, too)


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## mikeylikesit (Jul 18, 2008)

i do have to say this however. text is really good when asking someone for directions...that way you don't have to write them down and they are stored in your phone.


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## MMiz (Jul 18, 2008)

mikeylikesit said:


> i do have to say this however. text is really good when asking someone for directions...that way you don't have to write them down and they are stored in your phone.


I use text messaging to remember where I parked!


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## MedicPrincess (Jul 18, 2008)

MMiz said:


> I use text messaging to remember where I parked!


 

Okay... now THAT is funny!!!!  And proves.... no matter what the age may say... your mind is worse off than mine!!


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## reaper (Jul 18, 2008)

firetender said:


> ...at least there are some left who haven't been replaced by the Pods!
> 
> (OMIGOD!: IPods and the Pods that replaced the people in...what the hell was the name of that 1950's flick -- got re-made, too)




Invasion of the body snatchers!!


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## gradygirl (Jul 18, 2008)

firetender said:


> ...at least there are some left who haven't been replaced by the Pods!
> 
> (OMIGOD!: IPods and the Pods that replaced the people in...what the hell was the name of that 1950's flick -- got re-made, too)



I will admit, I'm a texting fiend and I can text like the wind, but I did draw the line on what I use my phone for. I have one of those snazzy LG Chocolates which you can load up to like 2G of music on, but I also have one of those 80G iPods videos (I wanted the standard size with video capability, but I really didn't want such a big one, but Apple discontinued anything with less memory). I live with my iPod, so I was in no need for music or games or other crap on my phone.

But for you "older" folks who don't understand the whole texting thing, here's a great case in point. Right now I'm in classes that last almost 3 hours (that's a summer course for yah) so I don't get the chance to pick up my phone for that long if anyone has called me. If something really important were to happen (my granddad is pretty frail, for example), someone in my family would be able to text me and I could go home then instead of waiting til the end of the class.

Also, my friend and I found out that there are some places where you can't call, but where DATA is available (rhan, feel free to explain, because I don't quite get it), so calls are out but texts are in.


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## BossyCow (Jul 18, 2008)

Speaking as one of the 'old folks' I love texting. 

I have unlimited texting on my phone and I text often. I'm not a fanatic about it, but its easier to send my oldest a reminder about his dental check up in text with the phone # to make the appointment himself than it is to listen to him whine about how he'd rather I did it. 

It has its place. Its just a tool. Text messaging is a form of connection and communication. Firetender, can you not 'be in the moment' while texting? Be fully present in the texting! Text with awareness!


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## apagea99 (Jul 18, 2008)

I'm not a fan of texting. I only do it if I need to send a message to someone and I'm trying not to distract people around me. I much prefer to call and talk to them or talk face to face if possible.

I think a lot of my bias against it has to do with the youth in my church who text ALL the time. They try to bring their phones to class, to camp, everywhere they go....as if they'd die without it. I tell them "Teenagers have grown up for thousands of years without texting, I think you'll live without it for an hour (or a week in the case of camp)."


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## Hastings (Jul 18, 2008)

Ridryder911 said:


> Sorry, I don't get it. Why would anyone want to waste the time of text messaging, when one could just call or even ask in person? I have seen people sitting side by side texting..? It makes NO sense!.. seriously.



Because it's a subtle form of communication that you can use to send nice, simple "thinking of you" messages during work, or in other settings where a phone call isn't appropriate. I'm certainly not going to have deep or lengthy conversations via texting, but it's always nice to get simple "Hi, hope all is going well" messages during work, etc.


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## firetender (Jul 18, 2008)

BossyCow said:


> Text messaging is a form of connection and communication. Firetender, can you not 'be in the moment' while texting? Be fully present in the texting! Text with awareness!



Sure, if I want my relationship in the moment to be with a hand-held device and digits on a screen.

The fact of the matter is that our life-spans are moving into 90 years.  Yet, with all these substitutes for real human interactions and our environment, we're not really "living" much longer than when life expectancy was below 40.


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## BossyCow (Jul 18, 2008)

I think its a matter of perception. While the vehicle for communication is slighty different I think the technology can keep you more in touch with each other. I'm not texting with my phone.. I'm texting to a person. 

I have seen my sons maintain more connections with classmates all over the US after H.S. graduation than I was able to do.  While some of the connection may be superficial and some of the texting is out of line, I believe that anything that allows us to connect with each other and share minutes of our day, events in our lives, and the simple message that I'm thinking of you and you are a part of my day today is a positive thing. It all depends on intent.


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## CFRBryan347768 (Jul 18, 2008)

Just dug up last months bill. Grandma is texting more than me!!


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## Outbac1 (Jul 18, 2008)

Call me a dinosaur if you must but I can't be bothered to figure out how to read a text let alone send one. I do well to use a full size keyboard with two or three fingers let alone fart around with a phone keypad. My phone is for talking to people. I don't use it for music, or surfing the web, or taking pictures. Just talking. 

  If you call and I don't answer, a) I didn't get the call,(it happens), b) I saw your # and don't want to talk to you, c) I'm busy, I'll call you back later, if I remember. If its really, really important you'll call back. My cell phone is for MY convience, not everyone elses.


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## VentMedic (Jul 18, 2008)

*Fla. county looks into 911 text message system*

http://www.ems1.com/ems-products/co...Fla-county-looks-into-911-text-message-system

By Zac Anderson
Sarasota Herald-Tribune



> SARASOTA COUNTY, Fla. — The burglar is inside your house, rummaging around in the next room. Does he have a weapon? Your heart beats fast.
> 
> You hide in the closet with the telephone, but you are afraid of being overheard.
> 
> ...


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## ffemt8978 (Jul 18, 2008)

firetender said:


> The whole cell-phone/text messaging/Blackberry whateveritis is of the Devil.
> 
> In this world we are bombarded every moment with DATA being sent by elsewhere -- keeping us away from our experience of our immediate environment IN THE MOMENT. To add heaps of this INFOCRAP that we then inflict on each other as a substitute for REAL connection will, eventually, drive us into a dependent loneliness that will drive us away from the simple art of being with another human being.
> 
> ...



This post reminded me of the Spider (played by Henry Rollins) in the movie Johnny Mnemonic.


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## Jon (Jul 20, 2008)

I use a Samsung Blackjack (also known as a windows based blackberry knockoff). I don't "text" much... I occasionally use it in sending messages to friends when I can't talk for some reason, but I have a few seconds to send a text. I use my QWERTY keyboard for mobile email all the time. Until I got my current job - where I sit with my laptop in WiFi all day until we get a call, I would often go 2-3 days without logging into a computer where I could check my email (because it is blocked at my old work for security purposes). I don't reply to a lot of emails by phone... but I read them and delete them if appropriate.


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