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Family, couples text heavily

Categories: AT&T, The Digital Life
By: , IntoMobile
Thursday, October 9th, 2008 at 10:41 AM

Heart by SMSTwo 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]

About The Author

Simon Sage

Simon Sage’s education largely surrounded writing, technology and online community, leading him to begin his blogging career at www.BlackBerryCool.com and to quickly discover a vibrant and active community surrounding BlackBerry and mobile technology. In exploring RIM’s platform, he has learned what enterprises are looking for in mobility as well as what makes the innocuous BlackBerry so appealing to them. Recently Simon’s been covering RIM’s gradual move into an already-crowded consumer market, and the impact of burgeoning challengers, such as the iPhone, as well as long-time leaders, like Nokia, on BlackBerry’s advancement. With plenty of content under his belt, Simon will be branching off a bit to see what other smartphone manufacturers are working on while still using BlackBerry as a barometer. At IntoMobile, you can count on his posts being even-handed, well-informed and thought-out.

  • DKolmer

    This article certainly rings true (no pun intended) with me and my “significant other.” Almost to a tee. Texting is a great way to let her know in a small way that she’s special to me and that I’m thinking of her throughout the day. Same goes for me with my kids.

  • Alex (send SMS from your computer)

    I always wonder – i’m just a click away from dialing her number and hearing her voice.. though it still feels right to rather type a simple smiley :) and receive something similar back…