Why We Don’t Get Text Messaging…..Yet
Consider this. Residents of Ecuador have a per capita GDP of $4,300.
Now consider this. Residents of Ecuador send four times more text messages than Americans.
Why the difference? In other countries, pay as you go cell phone plans drive the use of text messages. Also, in other countries, fewer people own personal computers on which instant messages and e-mail can be sent.
But does this fully explain why people in Ecuador text 200 messages per month versus only 50 in the United States?
Perhaps the biggest difference is in critical mass. People will adopt text messaging technology as their friends begin communicating with them on it.
American entrepreneurs in the business shouldn’t give up on text messaging yet. In fact, the camera phone, developed internationally, has now become a mass phenomenon in the United States.
Internationally, advertising via the cell phone and mobile coupons have long been a staple. Interactive television is truly interactive; just watch any sporting event overseas. When you think of text messaging on television overseas, think American Idol on steroids. That’s what you’ll find in England where late night television is dominated with premium SMS applications.
Some skeptics think that the overseas passion for text messaging is a quirk, but they’re wrong. It’s a leading indicator of what text messaging will one day be in the United States.
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