With more and more millennials moving to social media as their main digital communication outlet, we’re witnessing the slow demise of the SMS text message.
With a variety of different options for interpersonal communications on cell phones, texting is being pushed out by social media messaging services.
A report by Pew Research Center shows social platforms like Snapchat and Instagram are especially popular amongst those aged 18 to 24.
Stephen Graham, Lethbridge College’s chair for the School of Business, said one of the main draws of social media as a messaging service to young people is its usability over several devices.
“[Social media] is available on more than one platform. With text messaging, you’re pretty much limited to your phone. [Texting] does create very tight communication channels, so it’s really one-to-one. Social media messaging can be as direct as one-to-one, but it also provides better group messaging services.”
According to a report by textrequest.com, a total of 18.7 billion texts are sent worldwide every day, while WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger alone combine for more than 60 billion messages a day.
This number increases even more when you consider other social media messaging services.
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In its second quarter 2018 report, Snap. Inc, Snapchat’s parent company, states there are 188 million users who use the app on a daily basis, adding another three billion communications.
“I think the big difference really is the flexibility of where your messages can go. It’s just very appealing,” said Graham.
Timothy Sanderson, a Lethbridge College student, said although his main messaging outlet is through social media, there is still a place for texting in his communication diet.
“I use mostly social media. I switch back and forth because some of my friends don’t use social media at all. I’d say it’s about 80-20 in favour of social media.”
A poll of 100 Lethbridge College students done by Lethbridge Campus Media showed 60 per cent of students use either Facebook Messenger or Snapchat as their primary messaging service (30 per cent each).
The rest come in with 24 per cent using text, 10 per cent using Instagram direct messaging and six per cent using WhatsApp or other services.
According to a study by Gallup.com, texting is still the most used form of communication between adults under 50-years-old, even with it being on the downfall with youth.
