Curmugeon hat on: text messaging
December 29th, 2007 by screenwriterguy
I hate text messaging.
I have a normal flip phone. Texting from it is awkward and inefficient.
I guess some find it a more convenient way to shoot a quick note back-and-forth, without the “hassle” of a 23-second conversation. I get that. But then I have to respond via text, using that horrible system of poking numbers several times for this letter and several more times for that letter. It’s worse for me, because I actually care about things like commas and spelling and capital letters. I don’t claim to be a perfect grammarian, but in general I prefer reading and writing things wherein rule-breaking doesn’t jar you from the actual communication going on. “U wnt 2 see muvie 2mro?” actually pisses me off.
Insult to injury, there’s my wonderful mobile service provider—with whom I subscribe about as enthusiastically as I voted for John Kerry, and for the same reason: the pure evil that is the competition—who charges me $0.15 every time I send a text. Fair enough, I guess, but then they also charge me $0.15 to RECEIVE a text, a form of communication I didn’t ask for and don’t want. I’ve made this complaint vocally before, and everyone points out that I should just add texting to my calling plan. How is that better? That’s still me paying for something I don’t want. In fact, it’s me agreeing long-term to pay for something I don’t want, whether I use it or not.
I actually considered it just now. In my last statement, I had sent 21 messages and received 33. It’s BrevityTV.com’s fault; we had enough productions going on in December that people were texting me all the time. So I spent an extra 8 bucks or so on just texts. Perhaps that puts me in a place where it’s more cost effective to suck it up and pay $5 a month for 250 messages. But I feel like it’s a slippery slope if I get in the habit of texting freely. In August when it comes time to upgrade my phone, I’ll start looking at the kinds with the flip-out keyboards, and be in danger of spending a few more hundred dollars on something I don’t want. I want my normal flip phone. And if someone needs something from me, I want them to call me. That’s why I carry a phone around.
So please, you avid texters, reach me by phone or by e-mail. Your fancy keyboarded portable communications device can do both.
Posted in General Musings |
Jan 2nd 2008 at 5:09 pm
1) Producers of multimedia projects involving more than one person should, by law, be required to have text messaging plans.
2) Or, if they choose not to, should not be allowed to gripe about getting text messages.
3) Instead, they should be happy that people are even communicating at all, in whatever medium.
Honestly, now that I’ve gone ahead and bumped up to an iPhone, I would not ever considering doing a project such as a film or video shoot without text, e-mail, mapping and websurfing on my phone. It’s a sanity/life-saver.
Jan 4th 2008 at 2:30 pm
You’re not wrong, but I don’t want you to be right. You are arguing that since many people have opted into text messaging, everyone should. That’s the same logic the phone companies are using to get us to all spend a little extra.
And I definitely reject the idea that I should be happy to have my team communicating with me at all. Rather, I think it’s appropriate to EXPECT them to communicate. Otherwise we don’t work.
Sure, you’re totally correct that in choosing to lead a group of people, I need to make myself available to them by every means possible. But as a matter of personal preference, I would love if they didn’t select the most annoying method.
One of the coolest features of your new iPhone is… it’s a phone.
Jan 4th 2008 at 2:34 pm
I almost sent you a text-message reply to this post, but figured your brain would explode in anger if I did.
Instead of continuing the argument forever, I would point out that you are certainly in the minority in considering texting a minority and will point out the obvious: it is here to stay.
Jan 4th 2008 at 2:50 pm
A quick but not definitive google search indicates that about 37 percent of Americans use text messaging. Of course, it’s been much higher in Asia and Europe for a long time. And, of course, the numbers are much higher among American teens than the population as a whole.
So we’re both right. It’s not a majority yet in this country, but it’s clearly a phenomenon that is here to stay. At least until the next technological breakthrough.
That doesn’t mean I have to like it.
Jan 4th 2008 at 5:49 pm
Girls, you’re both pretty.
Jan 6th 2008 at 1:05 pm
I don’t like text messages either. However, when there was no phone service after Hurricane Katrina, and I was trying to see if one of my best friends was ok, a text message could sneak through where my phone calls failed time and time again. So in times of crisis, texting is invaluable. However “where R U spending newyears?” - a question which, unless the reply is “New York” probably will take more than one sentence - that’s just not a crisis question. So unless the message is “CALL ME ASAP” - it’s just annoying…the kind of annoying you pay for.