Family, couples text heavily

Two studies by Synovate comissioned by AT&T revealed quite a few interesting things about the way and the reason people text. When it comes to family, 76% of surveyed parents felt that they would be better informed of their children’s activities by SMS messaging, and accordingly the vast majority of messages between the two revolved around when they the kids were coming home. I wonder what the future of integrated GPS might have on these kinds of conversations - after all, if a parent could check their child’s location and heading, it would be easier to keep tabs on their young, but it would infringe on their privacy, something 65% of kids said they enjoyed about text messaging.

Even before getting to the parenthood stage, texting apparently plays a big role. Text messages are a significant part of 40% of those in a relationship, according to survey results, and 28% texted a significant other at least three times a day. When getting started with someone new, exchanging a few lines via SMS could significantly increase the chances of a first date said 26% of respondents. Sweet-talking is plenty common on mobile, with 52% responding that “thinking of you” kind of messages were the most regularly-recieved, and a whooping 74% of those in the 18-35 dating bracket have flirted by text.

It’s clear that texting and the mobile way of life are becoming heavily relied upon throughout our romantic lifecycles. I’m tempted to see this as a new and exciting change in how we express some of the most fundamental human emotions, but the more traditionally-minded might not be so happy about losing the old in-person way of doing things. Where do you stand?

[via AT&T x 2]