A Behaviouristic Interpretation of the Popularity of Mobile Text Messaging

The use of mobile text messaging – SMS has grown quite enormously over a short period of time. This has happened in spite of the fact that mobile phones have a quite clumsy user interface and that the cost of sending a message is relatively high. Three types of explanations for the popularity of SMS are suggested and discussed here: ; The rational explanation, the explanation that looks to new interaction patterns, and the ethnographic explanation. While these help understanding the popularity of mobile messaging, they cannot account for important aspects of the mobile messaging. It is suggested that an analysis of messaging based upon Skinner’s variant of behaviorism could offer new insight into messaging. Some of the basic terms of such an analysis are set forth, and it is suggested how the framework could be used to analyze mobile messaging. Finally, a short outline of other phenomena this approach could help explain is offered.