Aidan Schaefer

Tyler Branson
Writing 2
27 May 2016
Writing Habits Analysis
Introduction
Written language is a vital power source for human communication and interaction.
Writing connects millions of people worldwide through letters, faxes, emails, etc. New
technologies stemming from the commercial use of the internet allowed for other innovations
within the field. Emerging from the foundation of computer networking, cell phones became
more advanced, with features that allowed for more than simply calling and answering. These
developments included texting, which overtime became cheaper and more user friendly. Now
almost everyone can text through iphones and other smartphones conveniently and affordably.
Texting is still writing in the sense that it is communication through written words; despite the
lack of conventional writing in the terms of grammar and spelling. Texting is essentially an
informal quick hand that the masses tend to understand. Even more so, texting has begun to
involve emojis which are essentially mini pictures amidst sentences. These adaptations have
inadvertently created a new spectrum of writing not only on a private basis but on social media
outlets such as twitter, where the same writing style is text.
Text messaging has spawned some unintended consequences, but has also incited a
phenomena in human communication and interaction. Critics debate such forms of
communication and whether or not they serve as a source of encouragement. Social
psychologists debate whether such forms of communication inhibit us from actively expressing

our thoughts to other individuals or if the convenience stimulates communication. Recent studies
report that the average American spends 94.6 minutes per day solely on texting [1]. This does not
include other forms of text communication such as Facebook, email, Twitter, etc. Critics argue
that this excessive amount of time spent devoted to technology impairs our ability to make
genuine human connection.
Text messaging allows for editing of language; in verbal communication we do not
have the ability to refine and review everything before its said. Our acclimation to text talk
hinders our ability to verbally express ourselves. The repercussions often worsen our capabilities,
and many individuals become anxious or uncomfortable in social situations. Therefore, adapting
to newer forms of simple conversation, we impair the development of sophisticated verbal skills.
On the counterpart, some proponents for efficient communication refute that text
allows for quick convenient exchange and transmission of information. This simple form of
conversation has allowed people to talk without actually speaking. Details for events such as
meetings, classes, and team practices can be efficiently distributed to the intended party quickly.
Group messaging and mass emails make spreading information even easier; by sending these
messages, dozens of people can be reached in seconds. This written form of language is more
reliable than word-of-mouth, enabling individuals to look back at messages to recall what
someone said. This research paper looks further into the many uses for text messaging by
analyzing data collected over a period of five days.

Methods
The data collected consists of texts messages from May 5th through May 9th. The data
was separated into my four most active conversations, labeled A, B, C, and D. In each

conversation, there are two separate values, the number of messages sent by the other person,
and the number of messages sent by me. In a second table, data is separated into categories based
on the purpose of the message. The twelve categories I created best summarize the reasons I send
text messages.

Results

Figure 1: Within five days of collecting data, I sent text messages 29% less than others sent
to me. In total, 1008 messages were sent to me, while I sent out 718 messages to others.

The first figure displays four conversations and the amount of text messages sent by each
person over a course of five days. The data shows that I am more likely to send messages if the
other person is sending them more. On only two occasions, which occurred in conversation B on
day one and three, did I send more texts to the recipient than they sent to me. The number of text
messages in conversation A was consistently higher than in the other three conversations, adding
up to more than half of all the messages sent in five days, whereas in conversation D there were
two days where no messages were sent at all. Considering conversation A is with my best friend,
who happens to be struggling with the long distance since I left for college, I was not surprised to
find that I text him more than anyone else. I then decided to look deeper than just who I text and
recorded why I text message people.

Figure 2: Planning and making announcements contained the highest number of messages.

Out of the twelve categories, texts for planning had the highest values, reaching 40
messages on one day. Other interesting findings included high numbers in the announcement,
where are you?, procrastinating, and flirting categories. These results align with the research
from the Nokia Research Center, who conducted a large scale study of text messaging use [2].
Their participants included 70 college students from ages 17-26.
Discussion
From the above figures and the research I conducted on my writing habits, I have been
able to draw the conclusion that writing plays a significant role in my life. In five days, 1726 text
messages were recorded in four conversations. The amount of text messages in each
conversation is positively correlated with the significance of that persons role in my life.
Conversation A contained the most messages because my bestfriend, and the communication
between us, is extremely important. The next conversation that had the most messages was B.
This was also unsurprising because this conversation is with my closest friend at UCSB, and we
are constantly communicating about our locations, meet-up times, and other plans. If given the
opportunity to conduct further research, I would investigate deeper into my writing habits to
develop a broader understanding of the role literacy plays in my life. I think I would find similar
results but would have better knowledge of the demographics of who I text, what time I text
them, and what significance these texts bring. The convenience of text messaging has shaped
how I go about my weekly routine. The fast paced, always last minute life of a college student
depends on being able to quickly take out your cell phone, check your email, text your study
group to let them know youll be a few minutes late, add events to your calendar, and impatiently
text friends to inquire why they havent arrived at the library yet. My generation has adapted to
all these technological advances and I question if we would be able to succeed as students

without the resources we have come to find so necessary. It is important to recognize texting as a
significant genre of writing, especially for younger generations because it often is the most used
and most useful form of writing for a college student like myself.

References
[1] Goodrich, Terry. "Cellphone Addiction Is an Increasingly Realistic Possibility, Baylor Study
of College Students Reveals." Media Communications. Baylor University, 27 Aug. 2014. Web.
01 June 2016.
[2] Battestini, Agathe. "A Large Scale Study of Text-messaging Use."ResearchGate. N.p., Dec.
2009. Web. 1 June 2016.