This is something we are too European to understand
In 2003 Americans almost didn’t text because everything in the US is absurdly monetised while Europe was like “Well, you’re paying for the subscription. Knock yourself out texting.”
I used to live in the US back then, and it was cheaper to leave voice messages than text. So, I did. One time I called my sister in Europe, and since she didn’t answer, I left a voice message. She called me back later, pissed off, because she had to call her provider to set up her voice mailbox, because “normal people just text when there’s no answer.” These days, she sends me long voice messages on Whatsapp, which I ignore for weeks at a time. Oh, how the tables have turned…
It wasn’t necessarily unlimited texting either. Some plans had a fixed amount of texts per month.
You’re damn right I’m using up all 140 characters in this text.
$0.10 per sms message. Even those you received and had no control over.
What
This is something we are too European to understand
In 2003 Americans almost didn’t text because everything in the US is absurdly monetised while Europe was like “Well, you’re paying for the subscription. Knock yourself out texting.”
I used to live in the US back then, and it was cheaper to leave voice messages than text. So, I did. One time I called my sister in Europe, and since she didn’t answer, I left a voice message. She called me back later, pissed off, because she had to call her provider to set up her voice mailbox, because “normal people just text when there’s no answer.” These days, she sends me long voice messages on Whatsapp, which I ignore for weeks at a time. Oh, how the tables have turned…
People texting you could cost you money. Seriously.
Sometimes it was free for a few hours after 9pmish.