New data is out from the Pew Internet and American Life Project, showing that 95 percent of young adults engage the texting option on their cell phones. On a typical day, they send and get in return nearly 110 texts a day, while the median user reaches 40 a day. In terms of the median for all cell phone users, the figure is 10 a day.

Digging further down into the research, one in 10 younger adults reports they exchange more than 200 messages a day.

Some other data from the survey shows:

• Eighty-three percent of American adults own cell phones and nearly three quarters of them (73 percent) send and get text messages;
• Thirty-one percent indicate they prefer texts to chatting on the phone, while 53 percent note their preference is a voice call over a text message;
• Fourteen percent of those surveyed indicate the contact method they prefer is dependent upon the situation;
• If a young adult is exchanging an average of 109.5 messages daily, that comes out to greater than 3,200 texts monthly.

The survey also discovered that ethnic minorities continue to show signs of more mobile activity than other groups.

African-Americans and Hispanics, as an example, exchange 70 and 49 text messages a day, respectively compared to approximately 31 for whites. Smartphone users and those at the lower end of the income and education bracket also text more often.

According to a Pew spokesperson, a key to the on-going popularity of text messaging, however, is its standardization across devices, networks and operating systems. He points out, “Interoperability has a lot to do with it — anyone with a phone can text anyone else without worrying whether or not the person they are trying to reach is on the same service — as does the fact that you can text from pretty much any type of cell phone. After all, fewer than half of cell owners have smartphones, but even people on more basic phones can text-even if they don’t have access to some other tools you mentioned.”

Making It a Business to Text

While much of the texting between young adults is likely personal in nature, can businesses get in on this large volume of message exchanging?

For the smart business owners, there are opportunities to market to young adults and many others for that matter who love texting.

Let’s say you operate a restaurant, clothing store, movie theater etc. texting out reminders about upcoming events and/or offering discounts is a great way to maintain and add business. Once someone has agreed to let you contact them, texting messages, coupons etc. can prove really beneficial.

Given that texting will only likely increase in popularity, the business owner who can text current and potential customers without crossing the line of being a spammer could like the message they receive in return.

Photo credit: mobilemarketer.com

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Young American Adults Have a Love Affair with Texting is a post from Blazing Minds Copyright 2008-2011. Please link back when using this source material.

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