Lab Member Blogs: “Hey adults, try texting! I think you’ll like it!”

[We have asked some of our Lab Members to share their thoughts with us on a number of topics. Today we hear from Sami, a 16 year old from Israel. He has Pelephone for his phone service and HOT TV for television.]

I think that many adults don't understand the value of texting because when they were young they didn’t have mobiles, computers, the Internet and all the devices we use for texting. Because of this, they don’t understand why texting is important. And we (today’s youth) have had it since we were born - so we use it all the time.

Talk is not cheap.

Texting is cheaper than talking on the phone. Sometimes you need to send a message to someone and you don’t need to spend time talking to him a phone call, so you send an SMS and you save some money. Texting - especially with the Internet – lets you talk to more than one person at the same time. You can have six conversations (and more) at once!

In addition, texting is popular because of the computer. The computer, which is based on keyboard, is a device which can be used to send texts and messages. So nowadays, when there isn't a family that doesn’t have computer, texting is important.

Express yourself, textually.

Texting is really helpful to learn how to express yourself. Today there are a lot of bloggers and young people who write songs, stories, play word-play games and more. While people do all this stuff, they learn to express themselves.

Personally, I use texting a lot, and I think this is really helpful. There are a lot of people that I contact via SMS. Today when you meet someone, instead of asking her phone number, you ask her Messenger address or something like that. I don’t think that there is a young person today that’s not engaged in texting.

Texting is important to us.

Actually I think that adults should understand that we, the youth, need the texting much more than they do. Adults are busy in their daily life - they have jobs and homes to arrange, so they don’t have a lot of time for texting. Adults don’t spend time sitting at the computer and talking to friends. But we have a lot of time and we love talking with friends, so it makes sense that we use texting 24/7.

To cut a long story short, texting is very, very valuable to us. And grown-ups should understand it and try it! See how great it is.

Ready to get started? Here are a few links with tips!

CTIA shows you how to text (with pics) here.

Want a “manners” perspective, get it here.

Need to understand the “lingo,” you can see the glossary here.