The days of inadvertently overhearing mobile chatter on the train or walking down the street – made famous by Dom Joly of Trigger Happy TV and his giant novelty telephone might just be over if research conducted earlier this year by Ofcom is anything to go by. 
Evaluating the habits of UK consumers over the past 12 months, the report reveals that more people in the UK are now more likely to text rather than to make a phone call. While 58% of people communicated via texts on a daily basis in 2011, only 47% made a daily mobile call, said the country’s communications industry regulator.
It said the shift away from traditional ways of keeping in touch was being led by young people aged 16-24, who used some form of text-based application on a daily basis, be that texting or social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter. The report suggests smartphones are also changing people’s shopping habits, encouraging so-called Robo (Research offline buy online) shopping.
The fact that communication is changing is hard to dispute. The wide availability and uptake of smart phones, such as Apple’s popular iPhone, will have played a huge role in this. Consumers now have the world at their fingertips and messaging is quick, easy and most of all convenient.
Texts can cross continents and time zones without difficulty and even language barriers to a certain extent, with a quick click on Google Translate or similar service providers telling you almost all you need to know.
We just hope that as we move away from verbal communication, the art of conversation isn’t completely lost. Whether you’re catching up with friends, organising a business meeting or just plain gossiping, sometimes there’s nothing better than the spoken word.
