SMS Really Means "Send Messages, Stupid!"

Korean teenagers send an average of 60.1 text messages per day. That's 2,000 per month. I did a quick calculation on how Americans might stack up. Americans are sending about 20 billion text messages per month. Divide that by 236 million wireless subscribers and you get 84.75 messages per month per user, or 2.82 per day. That's assuming everyone sends some text messages. They don't. Younger users likely account for the bulk of text messages sent in the U.S.The data shows that teenagers, those Koreans between 15 and 19, send the most messages. Korean young adults, aged 20 to 24, are less likely to pull out their phone and SMS their BFF. Teens use SMS to communicate with friends stealthily when around their parents, and with their parents stealthily when around their friends. Apparently talking to the 'rents when with their peers is a no-no. Much better to clandestinely punch out an SMS, which many can do without even looking at their handsets.

I think my parents - Baby Boomers - have sent me perhaps 5 text messages each in the 5 years they've owned cell phones. My younger sister, however, routinely carries on multiple SMS conversations with her friends. In the course of an evening, she'll send two or three dozen messages, no sweat. Looking at my wireless bills, I range between 10 per day and 100 per day depending on the month and what I am up to.

Thirteen-year-old Morgan Pozgar, who typed "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" from Mary Poppins in just 15 seconds to win LG's recent National Texting Championship, sends 4,000 messages per month. That's 133 per day.

With the wireless network operators making unlimited messaging plans available, you can be sure people will continue to send more and more messages. According to the CTIA's web site, SMS usage in the U.S. increased 93% when comparing the last six months of 2005 to the last six months of 2006. In fact, SMS alone accounted for between 70% and 80% of all non-voice revenue for wireless network operators worldwide.

So, keep sending messages.