Can someone explain the appeal of text messages?

[Aspen and Misty]

Ditto - If you are talking about things your parents shouldn't hear, then you probably shouldn't be talking about them at all.

Just so you guys know, whenever I text messege I think of this thread now, lol!

Ashley

[RICHARD]

I have never sent a text message in my life.

I can see why talking to or seeing someone in person is awkward, who needs that personal contact?

Why should I..

Drive over to a friend's house to get a warm human hug?
Be able to see a tear in the corner of the same friend's eye when
she tells me she is down?
Have to look into those same eyes and watch them smile?
Share a soda or having to stay for a meal?
Sprawl out on a couch for an hour of two of TV?
put up with a crazy laugh, when I can sanitize it in a text message?

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Some of my favorite Stupid Text Tricks are-

Having people pay more attention to a Blackberry than to our converstation.

Watching a person interrupt a conversation with an incoming text message, then call that same person two seconds later on a cell phone.

Like, why not just call them and skip a step?

Sitting in on a meeting and watching people text, five minutes later they ask about the topic that was being discussed while they were typing!

YOU CANNOT TEXT AND DRIVE A MANUAL TRANSMISSION!


People who will look at text message and ignore it because it's "from work".
Then kill themselves to take a message "from home" because it's "from home"
I love that in business people!

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I just saw a cartoon where there are two adults talking One is staring intently at a baby held in their arms...The other adult says, "That's not a birthmark, It's a USB port...."

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IT's bad enough that there are so many people that are going blind on their own......Just wait...in a few years you'll be crashing into shiat becuase that little LED screen made you go blind!

Follow the white rabbit. Mr Smith will straighten you out.

[CathyBogart]

I'm hard of hearing and my boyfriend is softspoken.

[sparks19]

I'm hard of hearing and my boyfriend is softspoken.

it's the opposite in my house.... minus the soft spoken part hehe....

but it's funny that everyone thinks that if you send text messages you are a shut in that is void of human contact lol. SOMETIMES it is just better to text. Like the other day.... hubby didn't have a pen and needed a phone number. so I looked it up and sent a text to his phone.... pen problem solved

and while I wish all those months we had to live in seperate countries that I could just drive over to him and get a hug..... that simply was not feasible to drive 9 hours there and 9 hours back everyday. It's a nice thought but just not possible lol. Not to mention long distance phone charges YIKES (this was before we got Vonage which is also a God send lol)

someone mentioned the grocery list.... OH MAN is texting a God send for that. lol hubby can be forgetful.... he needs a hard copy list lol.

and sometimes while he is at work he can't take a phone call.... that's not to say we sit there and text back and forth while he can't take a phone call but a quick text to say "I'm thinking of you" or "I love you" is sometimes nice. I love to get a text from him during a hectic day and open the phone to see "I love you" written on the screen. Makes me feel better.

[Taz_Zoee]

I didn't finish reading all the posts, but thought this was a funny thread to see since last night on our way to a friends house for dinner I was texting my friend. Bruce says...why don't you just call her!?!?! I said because this way I don't have to answer if I'm busy or don't want to. We ended texting for about 15 minutes. LOL But I like the answer at your convenience aspect.
And sometimes one of us will text...you busy? And that means the other person wants to "talk" to you. It also came in handy before I moved in with Bruce. We'd text each other throughout the day while we were working. Well, that honeymoon's over.

[Aspen and Misty]

I can see why talking to or seeing someone in person is awkward, who needs that personal contact?

Why should I..

Drive over to a friend's house to get a warm human hug?
Be able to see a tear in the corner of the same friend's eye when
she tells me she is down?
Have to look into those same eyes and watch them smile?
Share a soda or having to stay for a meal?
Sprawl out on a couch for an hour of two of TV?
put up with a crazy laugh, when I can sanitize it in a text message?

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I find it interesting you view text messaging in such an extreme way. I don't think there is one person in the world who, when they are feeling down wouldn't want a hug from a friend. I think text messeges are used more because your "I'll be there in 10" text messeges are much easier then a 2 minute phone conversation just to tell the other person you will be there in 10. And who cares if you talk to them on the phone or not if you will be face to face with that person in just a few minutes.

Ashley

[RICHARD]

In that case wouldn't it be just a silly to use a phone? not just text messages. Afterall you can't see a tear over the phone or get a warm hug or share a soda when talking on the phone. so in other words if we ever want to talk to someone I should just drop by every ten minutes

You are correct.

I do not own a cell phone and save the impoirtant stuff for important moments.

It is the 'constant' texting/phonecalls that really bring us closer together.
That way I don't have to listen to my SO/BF/GF/kids when I get home.

I have no problem with the tech...it's the abuse of it at the expense of each other that bugs me.

I used to get together with a friend who carried two cell phones and a beeper.

It got very old, very fast, to schedule a day for dinner, a concert or a sporting event and then HAVE to watch a cellphone induced Tourette's attack for three or four hours.

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I really was interested in his work calls or the "check in" calls back and forth from home.

"Honey, I love you, I'm drinking a beer"
"Honey, what are you doing-has the ball game started?"
(the volume on the cell is turned way up....)
"I'm on my way home!"

Like EFF, I used to have an umbilical cord. I think it was on my belly. I am too old to remember those days, so why relive them?


Because we are in contact with each other so frequently, we really don't have anything to say.


Yeah, it's nice to be able to use tech to make our lives easier, but it seems like the more we say over that tech, it just cheapens the content.

When beepers first made the scene, doctors were the only ones carrying them.

Good enough reason! Now that you can reach out and touch anyone, anytime I really don't find that getting a phonecall or a text to be that important.

Posting messages here at PT isn't as impersonal as you stated.
It's more a forum, place to park an opinion, sharing of thoughts, pets and advice.

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There are the people who cannot live with out their tech- I just choose to live my life without it.

There once was a guy named Pavlov who trained some dogs for an experiment.

He'd ring a bell, then feed them. Later on he just rang the bell without feeding them. He found out that they would drool when they heard a bell ring, because they thought it was chow time.

The next time you are stuck with a crowd of people watch their reaction when "the bell rings".

One will get fed, the others will just have to drool.

[sparks19]

Now in the cases you describe.... YES that gets very old very fast.

I don't know WHY anyone would want to have a cell phone glued to their ear 24/7.

I find especially rude to be out with someone and have them constantly on their cell phone instead of visiting with the person that came to see them.

with some people it does seem theywould rather talk to the person on the phone rather than the person that is right in front of their face and I really don't understand that.

But I am a sucker for my hubby lol and if I can hear from him during the day just to hear an I love you or just to hear his voice makes me feel better when I can't actually BE with him. Now of course I would rather BE with him.... but life dictates we cannot be together 24/7 lol and I definately don't ignore my guests to talk on my phone... that to me is just rude.

it does amaze me how many people find that to be perfectly acceptable though and that does annoy me.

and Of course I don't think pet talk is impersonal.... but I don't think a text from my hubby is impersonal either. I was just using it as an example

[KittyGurl]

I'm not aloud to text. It costs to much. If I do, my dad will take away my phone for a month!

[dab_20]

I'm not aloud to text. It costs to much. If I do, my dad will take away my phone for a month!

My dad told me if I went over my texts one more time, he'd take away my phone forever. He ended up giving me unlimited as long as I payed the low price of ten dollars a month for my share. It's 20 dollars for a family plan.

[.sarah]

I've never text messaged so maybe my view is biased but I don't like it. I'd rather talk to someone on the phone or in person, talking through text (over the phone or internet) is so impersonal to me. I think the only reason I like forums is because it's a chance to make new friends. I also generally don't talk to my friends over AIM, myspace, facebook, etc. even though I have all of them. I generally pick up my phone and call them to talk or see if they can go out somewhere. They all generally call me too, because they know I hate talking over the internet (and would hate talking through text messages as well)

[RICHARD]

Here ya go....this applies to everyone.

In the last few weeks I have noticed men in the rest room using their cell phones while standing at the urinal.

Yep he had to tuck in between his shoulder and cheek, but he had to hold on to the phone before he washed his hands.....


I can only imagine if guys use them while on the pot-you know, to text his pals.....

Lovely.

[RICHARD]

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/fun/si...?date=20070628

[RedHedd]

I can see why talking to or seeing someone in person is awkward, who needs that personal contact?

Why should I..

Drive over to a friend's house to get a warm human hug?
Be able to see a tear in the corner of the same friend's eye when
she tells me she is down?
Have to look into those same eyes and watch them smile?
Share a soda or having to stay for a meal?
Sprawl out on a couch for an hour of two of TV?
put up with a crazy laugh, when I can sanitize it in a text message?

Thank you RICHARD, that's what I was trying to say.

YOU CANNOT TEXT AND DRIVE A MANUAL TRANSMISSION!

I had to laugh when they had to pass a law prohibiting people from texting while driving. It's a sad commentary on the state of common sense - does it exist anymore? - that they have to pass laws prohibiting stupid people from doing stuff that just plain common sense used to cover.

[DrKym]

I use the text feature more than the calling features, I text everyone!
Many times I cannot be doing the phone to my ear thing while working with a bird etc. so texting is great, I can open the message when it is more convienent for me, not to mention that it is so much cheaper on my cell phone plan to text!