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Submission + - The Cultures of Texting In Europe and America

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Ponca City, We Love You
Ponca City, We Love You writes: "The cultures of text messaging are very different in Europe and North America and economics drive the differences says "internet sociologist" Danah Boyd. Americans and Canadians have historically paid to receive text messages creating a stilted social dynamic whereby a friend forces you to pay $.10 simply by deciding to send you something. But now "all-you-can-eat" plans are changing everything. Rather than having to mentally calculate the number of texts sent and received, a floodgate of opportunities is suddenly opened. The weights are lifted and freedom reigns. The result? Zero to a thousand text messages in under a month! All-you-can-eat plans are still relatively rare in Europe. When a European youth runs out of texts and can't afford to top up, they simply don't text. But they can still receive texts without cost so they aren't actually kept out of the loop. What you see in Europe is a muffled fluidity of communication, comfortable but not excessive. Back in America, older users are less inclined to be prolific texters, maybe because they are more accustomed to the onerous plans and never really developed a fluid texting practice while younger."

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