Ever wondered about the secrets hidden in those tiny, buzzing devices we can’t seem to put down? Brace yourself for a text-tastic adventure as we unravel 20 fascinating texting facts. From the evolution of emojis to the science behind ‘typing bubbles,’ and the unwritten rules of the elusive ‘K’ response, we’ve got the inside scoop on the digital language that’s reshaping communication. Get ready to LOL, SMH, and maybe even OMG as we dive into the world of texting – where characters are limited, but the drama is limitless.
1-5 Fun Facts About Texting
1. Approximately 98% of text messages are read within minutes of being received.
2. Consumer Preference: 75% of consumers appreciate receiving messages from brands, particularly after opting in for such communication.
3. Frequency of Checking: 53% of people check their text messages up to 11 times a day.
4. Response Time: On average, it takes people just 90 seconds to respond to a text message.
5. Industry Adoption: In terms of business sectors, 73% of real estate, 65% of agriculture, 63% of entertainment and leisure, 57% of construction, and 53% of utility businesses utilize SMS.
6-10 Interesting Facts About Texting
6. Japanese Text Speak: In Japan, ’39’ is a common text for ‘thank you,’ based on how 3 (san) and 9 (kyu) sound when spoken out loud.
7. Historical First: The inaugural text message was sent on December 3, 1992, by Neil Papworth, a software programmer. It simply conveyed the message “Merry Christmas” from a computer because back then, our phones were about as smart as a rock.
8. Global Scale: Globally, a staggering 18.7 billion text messages zoom around every day.
9. Character Limit Origin: The 160-character limit for text messages was determined by Friedhelm Hillebrand, a German engineer and SMS inventor. He tested various sentences on a typewriter to find the optimal number of characters for a standard message.
10. Reading Text in Dreams: It’s challenging to read text during dreams, which is why the movie ‘Inception’ doesn’t feature any dream sequences involving people reading text.
11-15 Awesome Facts About Texting
11. UFC Fan’s Walkout Music: A UFC fan accidentally got fighter Rory MacDonald’s old cell phone number and was selecting Rory’s walkout music via text messages without Rory or the UFC finding out for years.
12. Phone-Checking Habits: Americans check their phones every ten minutes, totaling 96 times a day.
13. Swedish Blood Donors: Swedish blood donors receive a ‘Thank you’ text when they donate blood, and they also get a text whenever their blood is used to help someone.
14. Unexpected Love Story: In 2012, a 22-year-old man sent a wrong-number text to a woman 30 years older. Despite the mistake, they hung out, started dating, got married, and in 2019, he donated his kidney to her for a transplant.
15. Spam Text Trigger: A Russian attempted suicide bomber died in 2011 after receiving a spam text message that wished her a happy new year, inadvertently triggering the detonator on her mobile phone.
16-20 Crazy Facts About Texting
16. Unexpected Expenses: A quirky incident involved Russian eagles being tracked by scientists. The eagles unexpectedly flew into Iran/Pakistan, incurring out-of-network data roaming charges on SMS text transmitters. Scientists had to take out a loan and seek help on social media to pay off the resulting phone bill.
17. Papa John’s Spam Lawsuit: Papa John’s was sued for over $250 million for spamming people with text messages in the middle of the night.
18. Pre-App Shazam Service: Before Shazam became an app, it was a telephone service. Callers could identify a song by calling the service, and they would receive a text message with the song details.
19. Consumer Preference for Offers: About 75% of consumers express a preference for receiving special offers via SMS rather than encountering internet or mobile ads.
20. Drug Charges Based on Texts: In Australia, individuals can be charged with supplying drugs based solely on text messages, without the need for the police to witness the exchange or find drugs on either person.
Bonus Fact: A depressed teen convinced his friend, using six made-up online characters, to kill him. Totaling over 56,000 lines of text, he told him that his reward would be money, a job as a British secret service agent, and sex with a middle-aged spy.
That’s it for this post guys, I hope you had fun while reading about 20 Psychological Facts About Texting.
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