Texting vs. Calling

“Texting vs. Calling”
The evolution of cell phones has changed the world socially. The creation of cell phones began in the 1840s, but the first phone did not come out publically until 1977 ("Cell Phones"). Majority of people today could not go a day without their phones. Now that phones are more portable, lighter, smaller, and easier to use, more and more people are upgrading and getting newer phones. Since the 1990s, cell phones have added new features to expand the way we communicate with others. With the new cell phones today, a person can do more than just make phone calls, he or she can text, instant message, and send emails. The two most common forms of communication through a cell phone are making a phone call and texting. Despite the fact that texting and calling have many similarities, they have many differences.
Texting is when a person types a short message on a cell phone and sends it to another person with a cell phone. Texting allows more convenience because it is a faster way to get in touch with someone. There are a lot of people who will not even call on their phones, but will respond to a text immediately. Texting is more private. When a person is in a public place, he or she will not disturb others and no one would know what his or her conversation is about. An individual can also send a picture through a text. For example, instead of describing an item over the phone, a person can send a picture. We can see many useful things that texting bring to us. While texting, we can think clearly before we intend to say something. Once a person says something while on the phone, it is out in the open and he or she cannot take it back. While texting give us some time to consider carefully before saying what we think. This can cause less drama and fights. It is also more difficult to start a conversation by calling every time. Sometimes, texting will be good for explaining or saying sorry. Having conversations can either push people apart or bring people together. Depending on how a person says it and what kind of tone he or she uses, results in the way others may react.
As if cell phones weren’t already pricey enough, the cost to have text messaging and calling features can put a dent in his or her pocket. That brings up another difference between texting and calling. Texting on the mobile phone is less costly than calling. Students and younger teenagers prefer paying for text messages rather than phone calls, especially when they’re low on money and do not have a job. Unless a person has unlimited texting, it can range from ten cents up to about twenty-five cents a message. Calling can be between one dollar to a dollar and twenty-five cents. It all depends on the phone plan he or she chooses, but the cost of calling is still more than the cost of text messaging.
Even when researching the statistics of calling and texting, people can come to the conclusion that more cell phone users choose texting over calling. More and more people agree that texting is more fun and easier than calling. All of this texting activity has come at the expense of voice. Last year, teens texted instead of calling because it was fun. Now, more teens consider texting faster and easier than calling. Voice activity has decreased fourteen percent among teens, who average 646 minutes talking on the phone per month. Many adults over the age of fifty-five, on the other hand, prefer to talk instead of text. It is said that they communicate by calling more than teens do. If it seems like American teens are texting all the time, it’s probably because on average they’re sending or receiving 3,339 texts a month. It’s amazing at how many people use texting more than calling, but sometimes calling can do more than texting can.
Texting can be short and sweet; however, most people think calling is more meaningful. Someone can pick up the phone, and say, “I love you, mom” or “I will have dinner at home, Dad." Just by hearing his or her voice, the parent will feel more satisfied compared to reading a text message. By calling, cell phone users can talk with their friends comfortably and transfer their emotions to their friends naturally. Although both have their own value, I believe that calling makes people closer than texting. Besides, people just call for 911. If they try texting a message to 911, it won’t quite work out like they thought. I will say that some messages you shouldn’t reply to. Some messages are sent just to deliver information that the receiver needs to complete a task or something simple as a greeting or a farewell. Also think about the elderly, they are not used to the new technology that the new mobile devices offer, so most likely text messaging will be out of the question for them. A lot of elderly people have bad vision and won’t quite understand the different options and menus that a new mobile device has to offer. The simple task of texting could take them up to thirty or more minutes, and I’m sure this will become very aggravating.
Cell phones can be very distracting. Both texting and calling while driving are dangerous, but texting is absolutely unacceptable and more likely to cause accidents. Cell phone users have to look down at the phone to text and call. While making a phone call, it takes less time to dial a number than it does to type out a sentence. Texting causes drivers to focus more on what a text message says rather than worrying about driving. Phone calls require drivers to focus on the phone to dial a number, but it’s not nearly as distracting as texting.
Overall, there are different aspects to look at when choosing whether to call or text, but both are great ways to communicate through a cell phone. A text or call can let people know they are being thought about and send out a bit of emotion. They both have many similarities and differences, but I believe the differences overcome the similarities and are more important.

Works Cited
"Cell Phones." Cell Phone History. N.p., 2008. Web. 03 Oct. 2012. <http://cellphones.org/cell-phone-history.html>.

Cited: "Cell Phones." Cell Phone History. N.p., 2008. Web. 03 Oct. 2012. &lt;http://cellphones.org/cell-phone-history.html&gt;.