"They only text to rebel against me!"

While flying into Europe, I overheard the gentleman sitting behind me talk about his children, which were Gen Yers.  He was complaining about how his children love to text and expressed that they would prefer to text than to talk on the phone.  He was going on and on about how he can talk on the phone way faster than they could text.  Finally, he concluded that his children were only texting in order to rebel, saying that as long as they were doing something different than their parents, they were happy.

I was pretty taken about that this person though that people only text in order to do something that their parents didn't do.  To me, texting shows a fundamental shift in how humans communicate.  Historically, the phone was used to communicate, and you would have to hold everything that happened during the day in your head until the next time you placed a call to your friends.  With texting, now we can communicate instantaneously.  I see texting as a less urgent way of communicating than phones are.  Texting is a hybrid communication device between placing a call (urgent) and meeting in person (not urgent).

The second thing that texting shows is another fundamental shift in communication.  This is a shift away from "planning" and a move towards "coordination".  In the past people would spend hours planning something, i.e. meet me at 5:45 sharp at the left hand pillar in the sculpture garden.  If something happen, your only alternative was to wait and hope they arrived.  Today, planning is out, and coordination is in.  You make tentative plans to meet and do something this evening.  As the day goes on, you periodically get in contact (texting) and make sure your on track.  Then, when both parties are prepared and ready to meet, you text, 'leaving now, see you in 30'.  And again, when you get there a quick text 'Here! where are you?' 

20Something TakeAway:

1. As we shift into a coordination driven society, it's important to realize that many Gen Xers and Boomers are still in the 'planning' mindset.  Usually, they feel uncomfortable with "winging it", which is what we call 'coordination.'
2. Older folk will immediately discount you all the time.  You can see that gentleman on the plane's first come from is to discount texting as 'rebel' behavior, without ever even considering that there are ligitimate reasons for texting.  I'm sure it never occurred to him that texting was a positive shift in communication style and that it is here to stay.  It is attitudes like this that 20Somethings need to overcome on a daily basis.  Don't get pissed about it, but realize some of the hurdles we need to get over.