Why Do People Still Text
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@scottalanmiller said in Why Do People Still Text:
@Dashrender said in Why Do People Still Text:
@scottalanmiller said in Why Do People Still Text:
Found out from my aunts in Ohio this past week that none of them have unlimited text and that my aunt has an issue that lots of her friends have either blocked texting or have to ask people not to text them because they have to pay per text. Even I was amazing by how many people I ran into this week that don't have universal access to texting even in the US. It remains less than ubiquitous.
Wow - that does seem surprising today. I take it these are small towns in the middle of no where, so no major carriers?
Cleveland.
So which is it? The people in question don't know that the big carriers have unlimited texting plans? or the big carriers aren't there?
We have a few smaller companies here in Omaha too, Boost Mobile being the first that comes to mind, looks like all their plans include unlimited texting.
https://i.imgur.com/ZwfjCeL.png -
@Dashrender said in Why Do People Still Text:
So which is it? The people in question don't know that the big carriers have unlimited texting plans? or the big carriers aren't there?
Why must those be the options? I get the impression from pro-texting people that they feel that it is the duty of everyone else to pay extra for more expensive plans that include texting just so that the pro-texting people and the carriers can do what they want without regard for other people. Just because expensive texting plans exist doesn't mean that people want to pay for them or that they want people texting them. Sure, plans are available, obviously they are as all of the major carriers are nationwide - so nowhere in the US doesn't have access to premium price unlimited texting. But that it exists is not relevant, that it is not inclusive on every plan, is. The plans that they actually have don't include texting packages, that's what matters.
But in Panama, unlimited texting is apparently not even available.
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I need to look at my AT&T package. But we are still grandfathered under the Unlimited plan on our phones. We have had this plan since the iPhone 3GS.
But our concern is that we could really burn up the data with the kids and all we will do from time to time. That and when I was playing Ingress - it was GPS and Data heavy.
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I have both a hearing impaired and a profoundly deaf sibling. We only text and about 500 texts a day (no I am not kidding). Band family stuff all texting, all day long. Now most of the friends I have use Facebook messenger instead of texting. I rarely talk on my phone at all.
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@scottalanmiller said in Why Do People Still Text:
@Dashrender said in Why Do People Still Text:
So which is it? The people in question don't know that the big carriers have unlimited texting plans? or the big carriers aren't there?
Why must those be the options? I get the impression from pro-texting people that they feel that it is the duty of everyone else to pay extra for more expensive plans that include texting just so that the pro-texting people and the carriers can do what they want without regard for other people. Just because expensive texting plans exist doesn't mean that people want to pay for them or that they want people texting them. Sure, plans are available, obviously they are as all of the major carriers are nationwide - so nowhere in the US doesn't have access to premium price unlimited texting. But that it exists is not relevant, that it is not inclusive on every plan, is. The plans that they actually have don't include texting packages, that's what matters.
You are wrong here @scottalanmiller. You are trying to make it sound like this person is screwed by not choosing an expensive plan for unlimited texting when we have pointed out, specifically, that the low end budget carriers seem to offer unlimited texting across the board.
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@scottalanmiller said in Why Do People Still Text:
@Dashrender said in Why Do People Still Text:
So which is it? The people in question don't know that the big carriers have unlimited texting plans? or the big carriers aren't there?
Why must those be the options? I get the impression from pro-texting people that they feel that it is the duty of everyone else to pay extra for more expensive plans that include texting just so that the pro-texting people and the carriers can do what they want without regard for other people. Just because expensive texting plans exist doesn't mean that people want to pay for them or that they want people texting them. Sure, plans are available, obviously they are as all of the major carriers are nationwide - so nowhere in the US doesn't have access to premium price unlimited texting. But that it exists is not relevant, that it is not inclusive on every plan, is. The plans that they actually have don't include texting packages, that's what matters.
But in Panama, unlimited texting is apparently not even available.
I guess I don't understand where you are going with this?
Are phone companies in Panama state run? Do they have reasonably priced data plans? -
@gjacobse said in Why Do People Still Text:
I need to look at my AT&T package. But we are still grandfathered under the Unlimited plan on our phones. We have had this plan since the iPhone 3GS.
But our concern is that we could really burn up the data with the kids and all we will do from time to time. That and when I was playing Ingress - it was GPS and Data heavy.
Apparently AT&T has another "unlimited" data plan. Of course once you run out of your paid plan amount, you get switched to 2G data speeds unless you purchase another package worth of data at 4G.
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@Dashrender said in Why Do People Still Text:
@scottalanmiller said in Why Do People Still Text:
@Dashrender said in Why Do People Still Text:
So which is it? The people in question don't know that the big carriers have unlimited texting plans? or the big carriers aren't there?
Why must those be the options? I get the impression from pro-texting people that they feel that it is the duty of everyone else to pay extra for more expensive plans that include texting just so that the pro-texting people and the carriers can do what they want without regard for other people. Just because expensive texting plans exist doesn't mean that people want to pay for them or that they want people texting them. Sure, plans are available, obviously they are as all of the major carriers are nationwide - so nowhere in the US doesn't have access to premium price unlimited texting. But that it exists is not relevant, that it is not inclusive on every plan, is. The plans that they actually have don't include texting packages, that's what matters.
But in Panama, unlimited texting is apparently not even available.
I guess I don't understand where you are going with this?
Are phone companies in Panama state run? Do they have reasonably priced data plans?What do data plans have to do with texting? I'm totally lost. Data is available there, but texting is not available unlimited and is relatively expensive.
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@JaredBusch said in Why Do People Still Text:
@scottalanmiller said in Why Do People Still Text:
@Dashrender said in Why Do People Still Text:
So which is it? The people in question don't know that the big carriers have unlimited texting plans? or the big carriers aren't there?
Why must those be the options? I get the impression from pro-texting people that they feel that it is the duty of everyone else to pay extra for more expensive plans that include texting just so that the pro-texting people and the carriers can do what they want without regard for other people. Just because expensive texting plans exist doesn't mean that people want to pay for them or that they want people texting them. Sure, plans are available, obviously they are as all of the major carriers are nationwide - so nowhere in the US doesn't have access to premium price unlimited texting. But that it exists is not relevant, that it is not inclusive on every plan, is. The plans that they actually have don't include texting packages, that's what matters.
You are wrong here @scottalanmiller. You are trying to make it sound like this person is screwed by not choosing an expensive plan for unlimited texting when we have pointed out, specifically, that the low end budget carriers seem to offer unlimited texting across the board.
The point is... they don't have unlimited texting. Whatever plans they have currently lack this. That plans are available isn't really the point. The point is that they are not ubiquitous. I don't know what they pay, but they are obviously not paying enough to get unlimited texting. That's all that matters, that there are plans in the US that do have it isn't relevant. Only that there are plans that don't.
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@scottalanmiller said in Why Do People Still Text:
@JaredBusch said in Why Do People Still Text:
@scottalanmiller said in Why Do People Still Text:
@Dashrender said in Why Do People Still Text:
So which is it? The people in question don't know that the big carriers have unlimited texting plans? or the big carriers aren't there?
Why must those be the options? I get the impression from pro-texting people that they feel that it is the duty of everyone else to pay extra for more expensive plans that include texting just so that the pro-texting people and the carriers can do what they want without regard for other people. Just because expensive texting plans exist doesn't mean that people want to pay for them or that they want people texting them. Sure, plans are available, obviously they are as all of the major carriers are nationwide - so nowhere in the US doesn't have access to premium price unlimited texting. But that it exists is not relevant, that it is not inclusive on every plan, is. The plans that they actually have don't include texting packages, that's what matters.
You are wrong here @scottalanmiller. You are trying to make it sound like this person is screwed by not choosing an expensive plan for unlimited texting when we have pointed out, specifically, that the low end budget carriers seem to offer unlimited texting across the board.
The point is... they don't have unlimited texting. Whatever plans they have currently lack this. That plans are available isn't really the point. The point is that they are not ubiquitous. I don't know what they pay, but they are obviously not paying enough to get unlimited texting. That's all that matters, that there are plans in the US that do have it isn't relevant. Only that there are plans that don't.
So? so what? who cares that the carriers have plans that don't include unlimited texting? I missed something I guess earlier in the conversation why this matters?
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@Dashrender said in Why Do People Still Text:
So? so what? who cares that the carriers have plans that don't include unlimited texting? I missed something I guess earlier in the conversation why this matters?
Because that's the point. Not all people have unlimited texting. Earlier in the thread, there were arguments made that texting is "fine" to use because everyone has unlimited texting today. But now, years later, I'm running into more and more people that don't have it. Either because it costs too much (Ohio) compared to what plans they use or it is unavailable (Panama City.)
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@scottalanmiller said in Why Do People Still Text:
@Dashrender said in Why Do People Still Text:
So? so what? who cares that the carriers have plans that don't include unlimited texting? I missed something I guess earlier in the conversation why this matters?
Because that's the point. Not all people have unlimited texting. Earlier in the thread, there were arguments made that texting is "fine" to use because everyone has unlimited texting today. But now, years later, I'm running into more and more people that don't have it. Either because it costs too much (Ohio) compared to what plans they use or it is unavailable (Panama City.)
This is where you are wrong and what I am saying you are doing wrong.
It does not cost too much. Your people in Ohio are paying more than they need in order to not have unlimited texting. This is their problem for not reshopping their old cellular plans.
Same with any technical service, you have to update your options over time to ensure you are getting the best value proposition. Anyone (yeah yeah, exceptions exist I am sure, but your family is not a special snowflake) in the U.S. on a plan with any carrier that has some kind of limited texting has not shopped their plans in a long time.
Panama is a different thing.
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@scottalanmiller said in Why Do People Still Text:
@Dashrender said in Why Do People Still Text:
So? so what? who cares that the carriers have plans that don't include unlimited texting? I missed something I guess earlier in the conversation why this matters?
Because that's the point. Not all people have unlimited texting. Earlier in the thread, there were arguments made that texting is "fine" to use because everyone has unlimited texting today. But now, years later, I'm running into more and more people that don't have it. Either because it costs too much (Ohio) compared to what plans they use or it is unavailable (Panama City.)
aww, yep - missed that whole piece of the conversation.
I'm guessing that most people in this thread are probably in the first world - so considerations that unlimited texting simply not being available would not be a consideration to most, but it's a fair point to bring up none the less.
On to the costs to much portion - so what do those people (in Ohio) do that don't have unlimited texting? Is any part of their plan unlimited? Maybe that doesn't matter because their need for mobile communication is such that it's not a requirement for them.
What was the original conversation about? how should people communicate? The title of the thread is "why do people still text?" Without scrolling back nearly 300 posts I'm guessing the OP was probably suggesting that most people should be using a messaging client that uses the internet instead of using Texting. But that only applies to people who have enough data in their given budget/needs to cover messaging as well as their other needs. Granted texting is super light weight, so it probably has a fairly low utilization amount - unless you're sending pictures, then all bets are off. -
@JaredBusch said in Why Do People Still Text:
It does not cost too much. Your people in Ohio are paying more than they need in order to not have unlimited texting. This is their problem for not reshopping their old cellular plans.
This is the problem that I have with people texting... people who want to text always blame others for not buying the plans that the texting people want them to have. Bottom line... it's not your decision which plan they should have. They don't want to pay for texting. That you want them to pay for texting isn't relevant.
It's not just me wrong here, you are telling people that anyone not paying for unlimited texting is wrong to not do so. And that's my point... that very feeling is why I think texting is wrong. Nothing should ever make us feel that other people owe it to us to pay for phone plans for how we want to contact them, rather than how they want to be contacted.
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@Dashrender said in Why Do People Still Text:
I'm guessing that most people in this thread are probably in the first world - so considerations that unlimited texting simply not being available would not be a consideration to most, but it's a fair point to bring up none the less.
Available doesn't matter. Unless unlimited texting is free, we can't just expect everyone to have it. Unlimited data is available to everyone, yet not everyone has it. What if I said that I felt that you should all have it and you are wrong not to pay for it?
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@Dashrender said in Why Do People Still Text:
Without scrolling back nearly 300 posts I'm guessing the OP was probably suggesting that most people should be using a messaging client that uses the internet instead of using Texting. But that only applies to people who have enough data in their given budget/needs to cover messaging as well as their other needs.
I agree, it's far cheaper, uses so little data that even free plans in the US covers it (you can't message more in a month than TMobile gives for free) and can be used on other free services like wifi or at home.
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@Dashrender said in Why Do People Still Text:
Granted texting is super light weight, so it probably has a fairly low utilization amount - unless you're sending pictures, then all bets are off.
But it is a legacy service (predates Internet) and isn't billed like a lightweight service and unlike data, if you don't want it, you can't universally shut it off. So you can get charged without your consent (in order to have voice service.)
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@scottalanmiller said in Why Do People Still Text:
Nothing should ever make us feel that other people owe it to us to pay for phone plans for how we want to contact them, rather than how they want to be contacted.
I appreciate things are different in the US, but what about people who don't have internet with their plan, but do have (near) unlimited texting (this applies to members of my family). For those people, texting is the only way to communicate.
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@Carnival-Boy said in Why Do People Still Text:
@scottalanmiller said in Why Do People Still Text:
Nothing should ever make us feel that other people owe it to us to pay for phone plans for how we want to contact them, rather than how they want to be contacted.
I appreciate things are different in the US, but what about people who don't have internet with their plan, but do have (near) unlimited texting (this applies to members of my family). For those people, texting is the only way to communicate.
Is texting really free? Is it really cheaper than data? I'm aware that if we are talking about sub-Saharan Africa that the market is totally different and that texting is the only available service for technological reasons. There is a certain assumption of the developed world, here. Maybe the market in the UK is so dramatically different that this can happen there, but I find that shocking given that it's the opposite in the US, most of the EU and definitely the general developed world. Data is cheap, texting is expensive, data is universal, texting is general phone locked, etc.
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@scottalanmiller said in Why Do People Still Text:
@JaredBusch said in Why Do People Still Text:
It does not cost too much. Your people in Ohio are paying more than they need in order to not have unlimited texting. This is their problem for not reshopping their old cellular plans.
This is the problem that I have with people texting... people who want to text always blame others for not buying the plans that the texting people want them to have. Bottom line... it's not your decision which plan they should have. They don't want to pay for texting. That you want them to pay for texting isn't relevant.
It's not just me wrong here, you are telling people that anyone not paying for unlimited texting is wrong to not do so. And that's my point... that very feeling is why I think texting is wrong. Nothing should ever make us feel that other people owe it to us to pay for phone plans for how we want to contact them, rather than how they want to be contacted.
No, I am not telling them that not paying for unlimited texting is wrong. I am telling you it is f[moderated]ing stupid. Just as stupid as running RAID 5 on spinning drives.
I am not arguing your point about how stupid texting is in general being locked to phones and old tech.
I am arguing that anyone in the U.S. that does not have it though is intentionally paying a higher price for their phone service than they need to and I do not feel sorry for them one little bit.
