Economist: No text please, we're American

Why do American's send only 7 text messages per month, when the global average amongst users is 30?

The main reason is that the characteristics of the "SMS exchange" in the US are less developed that those of other regions. In short, the propositon on offer just isn't all that attractive in terms of cost/benefit.

As someone who lives in a society that is txt mad, I find it hard to believe that any country won't at some point follow in this communication (flirting) driven lunacy. Remember, in the UK texting went from nothing to huge in less that 12 months. If the operators in the US get their acts together, expect growth to be fast.