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Americans talk over an hour less per month on their cell phones than in 2009, as texting, video chatting and mobile-based instant messaging rise in prominence. Fewer calls are being made or received on mobile devices, with wireless customers using an average of 450 minutes a month, down 77 minutes from 527 in 2009, according to a new report by research firm J.D. Power. But that doesn't mean mobile users are communicating less with their mobile devices. The decline is offset by the growing use of text messaging, instant messaging, emailing, and video chatting. The study found wireless customers sent and or received an average of more than 500 texts in a given month, a figure that varies widely depending on age. The rise in texting, which has been beating out talking on smartphones since 2009, is becoming well documented and presents its own challenges. For example, the new documentary "Thumbs," gives viewers a behind-the-scenes look at nearly a dozen competitors through a grueling national texting championship, tracing a set of local speed texting champs as they make their way to final rounds in Manhattan and showing a new generation of phone users accustomed to heavy texting. In addition, the fact that more people now need chiropractors because of strains created from chronic texting or "text neck," underscores the growing populatity of texting over talking. Increased texting also creates challenges when users continue to text on mobile phones while doing other activities, most notably, driving a car. Cell phone use while driving increases the chance of crashing, according to the Governors Highway Safety Association, or GHSA, which studied more than 350 scientific papers about the connection between cell phone use and car crashes last month. Their research found a link between texting and higher risks while driving. While texting is currently the most favored smartphone activity, mobile-based instant messaging services, similar to BlackBerry Messenger, are beginning to ramp up and may further pull away emphasis from voice. Companies like Apple and Samsung are rolling out their own mobile messaging apps and services, and Facebook also released a standalone messaging app for smartphones and tablets that allows users to communicate beyond voice. However, the shift away from voice may pose more problems for carriers as they attempt to find new sources of revenue. Data plans have grown in emphasis with carriers, and if mobile-based messenging apps take off, pricing may go up to accommodate increased network traffic. Users may be talking less, but carriers will likely find a way for consumers to pay more as phones expand to other uses. |
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