Minnesota, USA -September 20, 2011 - It is official, the preferred method of communication via cell phone may be changing; according to Pew Research Center, 31% of American cell phone users would rather receive a text message than converse on a voice call. Another 53% of users would prefer a voice call than text message; however, another 13% said that the preferred method changed based on the situation. If this is any indication, the number of adults who text will increase over time; even though it may not be the 'preferred' method, adults may depend on it more over time. After all, voice calls are time consuming and we would rather accomplish as many tasks as possible rather than to be on the phone.

Pew surveyed 2,277 adults earlier in the year. Surprisingly, Pew reports that only 83% own cell phones -indeed this number will increase as the older generations are replaced by the present 50-65 year olds who enjoy technology. Of this 83% of adults, every 3 of 4 use text messaging whether it is all the time or just periodically. Undoubtedly the younger generation uses text messages more often than the older generations; Pew stated that on average the users between the ages of 18-24 will exchange 110 text messages daily; it also labeled users who exchange more than 50 texts a day as 'heavy' texters. To me this seems to be smaller than expected, but perhaps I am part of the younger generation who is growing highly dependent on this type of communication.

Why is this method of communication gaining in popularity Our society emphasizes multi-tasking; we do not participate in one activity at a time. With text messaging, we can communicate with multiple people about separate issues and still be working on other tasks at the same time. We get the most accomplished in the least amount of time; obviously we do not want to take the time if we have other tasks to complete. In our world as it is today, there is ALWAYS something to complete.

The convenience of text messaging is obvious; no one ever needs to worry about a text message not making it to the receiver. Even if a text message gets somewhere late, it can always be read by the recipient. There are no worries about people's devices not decoding the message correctly. Even though the type of phones varies, less than half of them are smartphones, all devices communicate with each other without a problem.

The next time that you take out your cell phone, take a moment to determine which method of communication you choose the most; are you part of the growing number of people who highly depend on text messaging If this survey is any indication, you are!