With every speedy push of a button, I anticipated a reply. I sent one, then another –maybe to say hello to a friend, or plan details for a meeting. It was SMS-ing, or text-messaging. And like so many people, became addicted to it. When walking down the street, I would check my phone and see if I had any messages. Out of boredom, or when bursting with a juicy story to tell, I was punching away while trying not to get hit by cars.

SMS is just another fantastic use of technology in a world where the numbers of face-to-face meetings seem to be dwindling. I remember when it was bad cell phone etiquette to gab away about personal issues or have a fight in public, so for many young people it is done through those little letters on a screen. It is common to hear stories of people flirting, getting dumped, or having fights via SMS.

My friend Susie recently told me that the man she was dating for a year broke up with her via SMS. She was stunned. A famous Australian cricket player Shane Warne and David Beckham were known for their SMS sex antics.

Amanda Lenhart, a senior researcher at the Pew Internet and American Life Project said in a December 2005 Washington Post article that there was something about communication via SMS that enabled people to talk about difficult subjects.

“You don’t see the person’s upper lip tremble. You don’t hear their voice quiver. You don’t get those external, non-textual cues,” and therefore it may be easier to approach touchy subjects, and have them be misinterpreted.

I briefly was involved with someone who would send me messages of sexual nature. When I asked her about it, she said “Oh, I was drunk.” When the messages were obnoxious, she would say “Oh, I was being sarcastic!”

Then there are those people who are so passive aggressive they confront people via SMS; I’ve been subjected to that, as well as dealing with the emotions of a break-up via SMS. I think we have all heard someone say “My psycho ex keeps texting me, oh my god! Get over it!”

But why are we relying on this form of communication so heavily? Maybe it’s because it’s an “easier” way of dealing with things as Lenhart suggests? Or is it something else, like cost. For many, it is also cheaper than making a call – especially on a pre-paid plan.

I got used to text-messaging, and I am always waiting for the vibrating beeping sound of message alert. Call me a tech-junkie if you like, but I still do call people for the real stuff.