If you’re one of the 70% of cell-phone users who use text messaging, you know that C U L8R means “See you later.”

“Texting” is now the new way to talk (or “tlk”), especially for young people. But why is that?

IT’S A LOVE THING – There’s no doubt about it, text messages are for personal communication. Only 10% of messages are work related, and the peak hours for texting are between 10:30 and 11:00 at night!

Most users (64%) say texting is a good way to send romantic messages – it’s easier to say “I love you” in a text message than in a phone call. Maybe that explains why more people now use texting to send Valentine’s Day messages.

UPSIDES AND DOWNSIDES – Generally, texting is cheaper than making phone calls. It’s also more direct, since you can send or get information without having to ask and answer polite “How are you?” questions. And it’s more discreet, too. No one can hear your “conversations,” and you can receive text messages almost anywhere – at work, in meetings, or in class. You can also use texting in noisy places like nightclubs, where using a cell phone is difficult.

A NEW LANGUAGE? – Because it’s quicker to “write” without apostrophes and vowels, texting has its own language. And it’s fun to use the symbols. There’s a best-selling dictionary (or “dxnre”) for texting called Wan2tlk?

Some people say that a texting encourages bad punctuation and spelling. On the other hand, more teens are writing than ever before. Now, that has to be a good thing.

(McCARTHY, M., McCARTEN, J. & SANDIFORD, H. Touchstone. Cambridge University Press. USA, 2005. Adaptado)

Why do some people think text messaging is bad? Because