Popularity of texting edging out cellphone calls

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R u kidding me? Americans punched out more than 110 billion text messages last year, double the number in the previous year and growing, as the shorthand communication becomes a popular alternative to cellphone calls.

The nation’s 270 million cellphone subscribers each sent out an average of 407 text messages in 2008, according to government statistics released today by the Census Bureau. That’s more than double the 188 messages sent by the average cellphone subscriber in 2007. The figures did not break down the texting by age, but the overall numbers understate the hundreds of texts sent each month by many teens — balanced out by older folks who don’t text as much.

At the same time, the average length of a cellphone call declined last year to 2.3 minutes. That’s the shortest chat time since the 1990s, before mobile devices and cheap calling plans became widely available to everyday consumers. The peak talk time came in 2004, when a caller on average chatted for 3.05 minutes.

The average monthly cellphone bill has remained largely flat over the years, at $50.

“We are seeing a clear trend of huge increases in text messaging,” said Amanda Lenhart, senior research specialist at the Pew Internet and American Life Project. “If teens are a leader for America, then we are moving to a text-based communication system. For them, there is less interest in talking.”

Lenhart said about two-thirds of all teens use text messaging, mostly due to its simplicity as well as the privacy of being able to communicate without being overheard. She predicted that texting would continue to grow as parents begin using it as an easy way to reach their kids.

The data are part of the Census Bureau’s annual Statistical Abstract of the United States, a compendium of numbers quantifying just about every aspect of everyday life. The agency assembles the latest statistics from government and private sources so researchers, academics and businesses can find them in one place.

-- Associated Press