The Ins ‘n Outs Of Txt Messaging
Most of us text (or “txt,” because not typing that “e” really saves time!). Texting has replaced making phone calls as the preferred mode of communication between people. It’s fast, it’s easy, and it can be done almost anywhere (including under the table during that really boring work meeting). As with any form of communication, certain rules and shorthands become universally understood. Enjoy a few graphs that attempt to define some of these texting trends.
Usage of the semi-colon in text messages
Graph by: jwoodbury via Graph Jam Builder
Responses to that really long text
Graph by: peblairman via Graph Jam Builder
People Who Text You
Graph by: dunno source via Graph Jam Builder
Whose Mom is texting them more than their friends?? Also, do people not have friends who are the opposite sex? If I’m interpreting the intent correctly, it should be “friends”, “potential booty” and “mom”, yes?
”K”
Yeah, I’m a 20 year old college student and my mom texts me all the time, no joke. Same with all of my roommates. It’s how you keep in touch without having to call all the time.
You must be a guy. Statistics show that women are more likely to see a text as a nice way to keep in touch, and I know the person I text with the most is my mom. Same goes for most of my girl friends.
I am a girl, and my mother doesn’t text at all. She actually hates it, and if she had her way, I wouldn’t be able to text at all.
My mom never texts me. Ever.
She always liked you best.
What? This graph is the exact opposite of me. I never text my mom. I do text yours a lot though.
…then there’s those old-farts like me who can’t type at all on those tiny keyboards built for teenage girls. We still actually speak to each other in real honest sentences and use words that are actually in the English language. You know, words like “splendiferous” or phrases like “get the hell off my lawn!”.
lol rotfl idk j/k. To us, “PC” stands for “prostate checkup”.
K
K
Ha! Too slow.
MOOOOOMMM…. stop texting me
If you wanted to use correct grammar, why are you on a Cheezburger network site?
For the record? There are people who insist on using real sentences, punctuation, and such in text messages. I’m one of them, and that semicolon bit of the graph for its proper use? I do that.
It’s not that impressive if your iPhone/Blackberry/whatever pretty much does it for you.
My phone has a real physical keypad, with numbers and no attempt to shove an entire QWERTY keyboard into 3 inches (heresy!)
I type out the words “you” and “text”, and use punctuation properly.
Your point?
Typing out words isn’t too difficult, but capitalization and stuff is a little unnecessary in texts (For me, my iPhone often autocorrects stuff like that if I’m too lazy to do it manually). It’s fine if you want to take the extra time, but it’s not like you’d be very likely to be texting in a professional setting anyway. And if you did, your boss would probably say “u” and “ur” like my sister’s does when he texts her all the time haha.
I just don’t get the superiority complex that people seem to have because they text like they’re writing a novel. I have an English degree so it’s not like I’m trying to imply that grammar’s not important, but I don’t see how using forms of shorthand automatically makes someone below you. The only thing that really bothers me is when the slang and shorthand is to the point that I can’t even understand half of what the person’s trying to say.
If my mom ever sent me a text message, I’d assume she’d be kidnapped and that the kidnappers were using her phone to lure me into a trap.
This graph doesn’t apply to men, since mother would be in the “opposite sex” category. Unless she’s had a sex change. But then would she still be in the opposite sex? Oh, never mind…
Calvin and his secret club G.R.O.S.S. stated that moms technically don’t fall under the term “opposite sex” when they established the rule stating kissing girls was okay if it was your mom.
frankly, if u have a gf than “the opposite sex” part like takes up almost the graph
As far as I know, all of my friends’ moms and mine don’t use text messaging. For me that graph would be like 85% wife, 10% advertisement from AT&T, 5% friends, which is still pretty sad. Haven’t seen much k’s either, that’s more like for IM’s, k?
I rarely use my phone, which my friends know, which puts my phone at:
50% phone company
10% advertisements
10% mom
5% friends
5% teachers (wtf?)
15% you’re now in a different country (that’s what you get when your country is smaller than an American state).
Text messaging or “texting” as you call it has only replaced phone calls for teeny boppers and hipsters; the rest of us still use phones, although increasingly more so cell phones than land lines.
….and those of us who hate talking on the phone. It’s an odd phobia, but it happens.
teeny bopper…hipster????? how old r u?
my mom responds “k” to everything. it is so obnoxious.
I absolutely loathe it when I get those “K” messages XD
Text messages? Welcome to 1997!
I was expecting a part of the second graph to say “tl:dr.”
You forgot Boss. My boss texts me as much as my friends.
Mom is too old fashioned.
Wait a minute. Only in my country there are advertising through text message?
HAHA that mum statement is soooo true.
My mum’s hearing impaired though, so the sms was a breakthrough in technology for deaf people. She texts more than anyone I know.
And with shortening words, I have a habit of writing messages with too many characters. Therefore, shorthand is necessary, if i don’t want to write my message with a part 1, part 2 and so on.
And how annoying is it when you write a really long message pouring your heart out, and you get “k” back.
My mom doesn’t even know how to make a space in texts