texting?

[BvBPL]

If something texts me something that necessitates a response, I will generally call them. I know they are near their phone and able to communicate because they just texted me. Texting me is a very convenient way for me to tell when people are available to talk on the phone.

 

[Arwon]

That seems a weird assumption.

 

[CavLancer]

Why?

Five more characters before I can post this. That ought to do it.
1234-5

Do spaces count?

 

[Quintillus]

I don't get the point of long text conversations, either. I have friends who have sent more texts in a day than I have my entire life. I'm probably up to triple digits now, but 200 is doubtful. To me, a text is best used when:

• What you're writing is short
• You don't need a reply immediately (if so, call), but would like one in the not-too-distant future (if time doesn't matter at all, just e-mail, or mention during a later call).
• It would be inconvenient to call, such as because the other person may be working/sleeping.

Another valid use case is forwarding phone numbers.

For actually catching up with someone, I prefer phone (or perhaps video chat nowadays). Similarly, for making plans, calling someone tends to be much more efficient than texting (or e-mail). E-mail works well for short, casual communication, or when something might be needed for future reference ("here's my address").

Instant messaging might be the most directly comparable to texting. It's handy, like texting, for when one party can't really talk, or it would be inconvenient. I prefer it over texting since it's much quicker to type on a keyboard than most phones (including my phone). But I've certainly had IM conversations turn in to phone conversations. The other advantage of IMs is the online status. I might see that a friend is online and say "Hey, are you up for such-and-such on Saturday?". I already know that they're probably available, so it's less intrusive than sending a text which might arrive when they're driving or eating with someone else.

 

[Arwon]

That seems a weird assumption.

If I'm texting there is a decent chance I'm occupied.

 

[Zelig]

http://www.theverge.com/2014/6/2/5765528/apple-airdrop-now-shares-between-ios-and-os-x-devices

The desktop iMessage service can now send SMS messages, relayed through a phone. It can even let users accept a call on their Mac or dial a phone.

Will be nice when any PC does this natively without the hackery currently required.

 

[Farm Boy]

I wasn't aware people still used phones that didn't have caller id. It's not the 90's.

Hiya! =D It's 2014 and my landline is a steal on price compared to most people's communications devices. Actually, it's not really any cheaper than it ever was, but people pay a lot more for phones/texting than they used to. They can do it almost everywhere(inside my house is actually a dead-zone), so perhaps the increase in service level justifies this. Back to the original point though, I don't get calls from a lot of random people. My family and friends call, people for whom I am generally happy to pick up when I'm home.

I think of it this way: calling somebody is a very large demand on their time and their mental bandwidth. You're expecting them to drop everything and devote all their attention to you. This is very rarely justified if you're just exchanging simple information or making plans or the like.

It's pretty much only justified if you've got very urgent (I've been waiting outside for ten minutes, where are you?) or complex things to discuss (what are our plans for your mum's birthday?). Most of what you have to say, even to your friends and family, doesn't need to be immediately imposed on them in real time and can comfortably be relegated to low mental bandwidth, low time pressure media such as SMS.

You use the same logic for which I apply to the fact that the only cell phone I carry is a pre-paid for urgently needed communication. If I'm out and about, I'm out and about. I certainly don't want to be pestered while I'm driving or with friends for the evening. Taking your attention off the road is stupid, and nights out with friends have seemed to get more precious with the years. I'm not going to get people I like in one place from their scattered residences and then spend the time staring at or yawping on my phone. Ew.

For everything else, you can instant message my desktop or email my and I'll get to it when I get to it. Otherwise, you can call me in the evening when it doesn't otherwise interfere with what I've got going on. At which point devoting some bandwidth to an exchange with my family or friends is a goodness rather than an inconvenience. If it happens to be inconvenient, I can simply not pick up the phone and you can leave a message. The machine plays it out loud, I can determine how critical it is and if it needs a response.