Fingers Bulk Up as Texting Beats Talking
As anyone with a teenager knows, text messaging is quite popular among those in that age range. And a recent Nielsen Mobile survey has concluded that not only has text messaging become the most popular form of communication using a cell phone, the group that texts the mosts (go figure) is in the 13 - 17 year range.
The study determined that in the period from Q1 2006 - Q2 2008, the number of monthly calls per user has remained stable, at around 200. But the number of text messages have skyrocketed from 65 per month in Q1 2006 to 357 per month in Q2 2008. And take a look at the distribution of text messages per age group:
While it's interesting that the highest number is among teenagers, to us it's also amazing that 12 and under users average 428 text messages a month. That's 3rd among age groups.
Thisis undoubtedly good news for wireless carriers, who have seen text messaging turn into a cash cow. It also totally validates comic strips such as Zits, which humorously portray just how dependent teens are on SMS.
The study determined that in the period from Q1 2006 - Q2 2008, the number of monthly calls per user has remained stable, at around 200. But the number of text messages have skyrocketed from 65 per month in Q1 2006 to 357 per month in Q2 2008. And take a look at the distribution of text messages per age group:
Average Number of Monthly Calls vs. Text Messages Among U.S. Wireless Subscribers by Age (Q2 2008) | ||
|
| Calls | Texts |
All Subs | 204 | 357 |
12 & Under | 137 | 428 |
Ages 13-17 | 231 | 1742 |
Ages 18-24 | 265 | 790 |
Ages 25-34 | 239 | 331 |
Ages 35-44 | 223 | 236 |
Ages 45-54 | 193 | 128 |
Ages 55-64 | 145 | 38 |
Ages 65+ | 99 | 14 |
Source: Nielsen Mobile | ||
While it's interesting that the highest number is among teenagers, to us it's also amazing that 12 and under users average 428 text messages a month. That's 3rd among age groups.
Thisis undoubtedly good news for wireless carriers, who have seen text messaging turn into a cash cow. It also totally validates comic strips such as Zits, which humorously portray just how dependent teens are on SMS.
