7 News Belize

The Texting Phenomenon: Millions Of Texts Sent Daily
posted (May 30, 2012)
Unless you've been living under a rock somewhere, you'll know that texting has really caught on in the past few years. It seems everyone is doing it, from youths to senior citizens, students to businesspersons to politicians.

And they're sending those text messages every which way, from English to text slang, to creole, talking about the serious, the mundane, right down to the silly.

Our intern Robin Schaffer is part of what might be called Generation Text - youths who have forged an almost spiritual connection with their cell phones.

For the past few weeks, she's been gathering information on texting habits - and it provides a compelling profile of a communication transformation.

Here's her report:

Robin Schaffer Reporting

It seems like every time you look around someone is text messaging - pedestrians, drivers, bicycle riders. Indeed, this texting thing is not just a fad, it's a way of life and a preferred means of communication for many.

At St. John's Junior College, texting is not just something people do in between class - they do it inside the classroom too. Many of the students we spoke to said that it has become an almost involuntary social reflex.

Robin Schaffer
"How many texts do you send per day?"

Shanice Joseph - SJCJC student
"like about 150."

Robin Schaffer
"And how about per week?"

Shanice Joseph
"For the week,, well that's my entire 750 sms right there."

Robin Schaffer
"Is texting very important in your life?"

Shanice Joseph
"Definitely, if I don't have texts, then I just want leave my phone at home. I just feel like it's worthless."

Ryan Hernandez - SJCJC student
"Daily, I'd say about 50, just about."

Robin Schaffer
"And weekly?"

Ryan Hernandez
"I'd say that I average maybe 200-300 - actually, nowadays, I've cut down on it, so maybe like 100 to 200."

Robin Schaffer
"When there is no reply, do you find yourself looking at the phone, waiting and waiting for a response?"

Ryan Hernandez
"Well, that depends on the message that I sent before. If I am busy with something like youtube, facebook, tv in general, or my PS3, then I don't really worry too much about the texts. I am distracted by other electronics, pretty much."

Robin Schaffer
"So per week, that would be like..."

Dominic Tatum - SJCJC Student
"Probably 1000+, something like that."

Robin Schaffer
"How do you feel if you don't get any texts for the day?"

Dominic Tatum
"Well, I just feel like maybe, everyone is having an off-day or something. No one has credits, and it makes me feel like I'm not a part of the social life."

Robin Schaffer
"If you have texted someone and you're waiting for a response, do you find yourself looking at your phone checking if maybe they texted?"

Dominic Tatum
"Yes, most of the time, or sometimes all the time."

Gianni Alamilla - SJCJC Student
"I think it's a really good way to keep up with people, especially since everyone likes to be in contact, but I don't really find it that important. I mean, I ignore messages, and they hate me for it afterwards."

Robin Schaffer
"Do you answer all the messages that you receive?"

Amenzee Amu - SJCJC Student
"Yes, I do. I feel obligated to do it. If I don't reply, I feel bad and also weird because like - on the verge of addiction, so I want to do it. If I don't do it, it feels like I am starving myself. It's like your hands are just itching to texts."

Danicia Tilllett - SJCJC Student
"It's roughly about 200-300 per day."

Robin Schaffer
"And for the week?"

Danicia Tilllett - SJCJC Student
"About 2,000."

Robin Schaffer
"Do you prefer it over face to face communication?"

Danicia Tilllett - SJCJC Student
"Yes, it's less awkward, I guess, because you can say anything through texts but face to face, you have to think what say, and you see their expressions."

Robin Schaffer
"Do you find that if you send someone a text and you don't receive any that you feel lonely?"

Danicia Tilllett - SJCJC Student
"No, if they don't text me back, I delete their number."

Robin Schaffer
"Do you find that you do text someone and you're waiting for a response that you look at your phone every minute just waiting?"

Winter Haulze - SJCJC Student
"Yes, you have - I guess - anxiety. You're waiting for them to answer, and when they don't answer, you get mad. You then text them and ask when they're going to answer."

Sehon Richards - SJCJC Student
"For the day, I'd say that I'd send about maybe a 100."

Robin Schaffer
"So for the week that's approximately...?"

Sehon Richards- SJCJC Student
"We can say like 700."

Robin Schaffer
"And do you enjoy texting?"

Sehon Richards- SJCJC Student
"Yes, I do because I can easily get a message across to somebody very quickly."

Robin Schaffer
"How many texts do you send for the day?"

Melissa Usher - SJCJC Student
"I'd say about 300."

Robin Schaffer
"So, for the week, that would be..."

Melissa Usher- SJCJC Student
"Probably about 1500 or so."

Robin Schaffer
"So do you enjoy texting?"

Melissa Usher - SJCJC Student
"Yes, a lot, I get nervous sometimes to talk to them face to face, so over texts, it's much easier."

Robin Schaffer
"Do you reply to all the texts that are sent to you?"

Melissa Usher - SJCJC Student
"Yes."

Robin Schaffer
"And do you find that no one was to respond to your texts, that you've feel lonely or ...?"

Melissa Usher - SJCJC Student
"Not really, I have other people to texts so, no."

Robin Schaffer
"And when you are waiting for the text, do you find yourself just looking at the phone every minute?"

Melissa Usher - SJCJC Student
"Yes, I'm kind of impatient."

Robin Schaffer
"So for the week, you'd send approximately..."

Taheerah Usher - SJCJC Student
"The whole week, it's maybe like 500."

Robin Schaffer
"And do you find that you tend to text people who are close in proximity like in class, or down the hall?"

Taheerah Usher- SJCJC Student
"Yes, I like to text people during class."

While there is a generational technical gap, the Dean of Student Affairs has found that she has had to use texting to bridge that gap.

Consuelo Godfrey - Associate Dean of Student Affairs
"Texts are faster because students don't always read emails every day, and so, if I wanted to get in contact with them about something urgently, then I texts them. They tend to take advantage in class. It's easier for you to put a phone under a desk and text while your teacher is talking, and for some reason, I think that some students are more addicted to their cell phones than before. It's like a part of their being, a part of their individuality. A phone is very personal; you go everywhere with it. You put it everywhere. Sometimes, it's in your pocket; it's in your purse. So, I think that it's a very personal piece of device, and I think that it's an extension of who they are, to some extent. They use it in class when they know that they shouldn't. We even developed a policy because of that problem that we have at SJC. It's a big distraction, and I'm sure that teachers can attest to that."

Robin Schaffer
"Do you that see your students prefer texting?"

Gina Fonseca - Teacher, SJCJC
"Yes, by far."

Robin Schaffer
"And, do you see them texting in class?"

Gina Fonseca - Teacher, SJCJC
"Yes, It's a very annoying habit to deal with in class, but I've learn - or accepted - that they're so addicted to it that it's something that they can't do without."

Racquel Pennil - teacher SJCJC
"I think that we've definitely had an increase now where we continuously have to ask them to turn off their cell phones before entire the class room. And even after, we've ask them, a few of them still try to the under-the-table text thing. With that, we have noticed and increase in wrong spelling in their comprehension papers because they do use a lot of the text language. For the y-o-u, the use 'u'; for the 'are' there's just the Letter 'r'."

Robin Schaffer
"Do you see them texting in class?"

Courtney Gillett - Teacher, SJCJC
"Yes, sometimes, they try to sneak it, yes."

Robin Schaffer
"And what do you do when you catch them."

Courtney Gillett - Teacher, SJCJC
"Please put away that phone. Please put it away now."

Davina Cordova - Teacher, SJCJC
"Whenever I notice that they're texting in class, I would ask them to stop texting and put away the phones."

Robin Schaffer
"So, do you think that the texting tampers with their learning?"

Davina Cordova - Teacher, SJCJC
"Definitely, it distracts them, and then they don't get the concepts that are being taught at the moment."

And it's not only the teachers at the 6th form level that can attest to the importance of texting to students and the influence it has on their communication and writing skills. In 2010, PSE examiners found that the texting language was seeping into students' essays.

Yvonne Davis - P.S.E. Examiner
"So, all this text language that they are now using on their cell phones, they are bringing it into the class room, and it shows up on our exams."

Jules Vasquez
"So you see actually instead of y-o-u."

Yvonne Davis
"Yes, and instead of four we see the number 4. This is what we are noticing now."

Jules Vasquez
"Did you see any LMAO or OMG?"

Yvonne Davis
"LOL and all of that. They are all there. We found these on the exam this year. The text language is a part of their everyday life. It sends a signal to us in education; it sends a signal to the entire society. To the teachers I want to say you need to challenge this into something positive. We need to show them the value where the text language is appropriate and where it is not and what is the translation. Everybody has a cell phone now."

And all this texting means big business for the phone companies. Both companies say that texting averages about 25-30% of their revenues as millions - yes millions(!) of text messages are sent daily.

Dione Miranda - Public Relations Officer, BTL
"It's averaging around 2 million texts per day."

Robin Schaffer
"And so, for the week that would be about..."

Dione Miranda - Public Relations Officer, BTL
"Pretty much, 14 million, and for the month, it's around 55 million texts are passed through our network."

Robin Schaffer
"And what's the percentage, then, of the profits or revenue that you get through texting since it's so much."

Dione Miranda - Public Relations Officer, BTL
"I wouldn't say that we could look at it over the globalized business, but on the mobile part of the business, it's around 23% to 25%. So, it is quite a bit."

Ian Courtenay - Public Relations Officer, SMART
"Per day, it's a little bit over 1 million text messages that we process, and that's an average. It increases anywhere from 150,000 to 200,000 text messages per month, the increase. Students and others use it a hell of a lot, so that is the demographic that we focus most of our texting campaigns on. Definitely, for that age of people - young teenagers - that is the premier source of communication once you are not sitting face to face."

Dione Miranda - Public Relations Officer, BTL
"I'm a lecturer as well for the university, and the texts that I see coming out, the words aren't fully formed. And actually, I see it in emails, letters, and I now see it in correspondence and job applications. You actually see that there is a deterioration."

Ian Courtenay - Public Relations Officer, SMART
"There are cases where there is a backlash to it. We'd have an ad out that depicts a situation where a mother is upset that instead sitting around the table talking, her family members are texting even each other. I think that there is adverse effect in terms of with students that teachers need to ensure that students are able to communicate properly, but I think that it is a change that is rooted in where society is going."

While no one can say for sure where all this texting is taking us, we're certainly witnessing a fundamental shift in the way Belizeans communicate and interrelate.

The jury is still out, though, on whether the hazy glow of a 2 inch cell phone screen enriches or cheapens our relationships - and, in the end, only the text message recipient can say if a few characters on a screen can spark true human contact.

And that's not the end of it - join us next week for part two of the story when we'll examine the role text messaging plays in the business world...

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