Hey some people don't pay for cable either (you save more by the way so you may want to try it)... some people also don't run their AC's in the middle of summer and prefer fans... again to each his own... more than one way to save a buck...
It's not saving a buck - it's more like not throwing away a buck.
Given how little I would use internet and texting, it would just be a complete waste to pay anything at all to have those services. This is because I think internet and texting on cell phones are only useful in very limited circumstances to begin with, such as needing info with no other internet access or needing to text because you simply can't talk in that situation but absolutely need to communicate.
So if I'm ever out somewhere and need sudden and immediate info, the internet might be useful. Or if I am ever taken hostage and the person somehow doesn't take my phone and would hear me if I talk but I can get out a silent text, then texting might be useful.
By contrast, the things you mention here actually have use, so you'd have to "sacrifice" something in order to save that buck. I'm not sacrificing anything to save the money I save when I don't have internet or texting.
Mobile Internet usage is extremely efficient for short browsing sessions, in the same way that text messages are much more efficient for sending quick messages to someone without having to go through calling them just for one sentence.
Other than emergencies or maybe a rare desperate need for info from the internet when no computer is available, I can't think of any reason I might need a "short browsing session". When I get on the internet, it's rarely for a short period of time.
I also don't see a point in punching a whole bunch of keys to tell someone one sentence when I can hit a few and tell them the sentence on the phone, which doesn't take any more time and is actually less effort (not to mention I don't have to pay extra for texting).
If I'm leaving the office, I can send my wife a "home in 10" text. If she isn't at her phone, I don't need to leave her a voicemail - the message will be queued up and waiting for her when she gets back to her phone.
I just call and tell my wife when I'm coming home. I hit a single button (you just hit at least ten with that short message) because she's on speed dial, and we have a real conversation if she answers. If not, leaving a voicemail isn't that difficult.
She doesn't have to rush to her phone to get to it within four rings or whatever because the text won't go away.
Voice mails don't go away either.
Plus it lets us have a bit of a system - if it's a text, it generally isn't very important. If it's a phone call, it's important.
If I need to contact someone and do so over the phone, about 95 percent of the time, it's important. Even if it's not, I don't see how I need texting to differentiate.
Or for another example, if I'm watching a Louisville game where a kid suffers an awful leg injury, I can immediately send a text to ten of my friends saying "holy sh*t, did you see that?" without having to individually call each one and have the same conversation ten times.
Sure, but this is something that is so unimportant to me that it would be entirely useless. I have ZERO desire to ask my friends if they saw something on TV unless we're right there watching it together, in which case the phone is unnecessary to begin with. To me that's about the most pointless thing you could do with your phone. Heck, using it as a paperweight would prove more useful to me than contacting my friends about some meaningless sports event the moment it happens.
On top of that, I don't want people sending me ridiculous texts like this about sports events and what not. I don't need to know you were watching the game and something weird happened - I'm either watching it myself or I'll find out later. I don't want to be bothered with that kind of thing.
It's all in how you use the technology - you can't just issue a blanket statement declaring something that is as useful as mobile browsing or texting as inefficient.
I just explained how every reason you gave for mobile browsing and texting is inefficient from my perspective. So unless there are other uses you can tell me about that actual are efficient, I stand by my statement that both are inefficient.
Maybe the way you use it is inefficient and that's the issue, but millions of people send billions of texts and internet requests every single day in very efficient ways.
I disagree. I think most of them simply live less than efficient lives but don't realize how inefficient they are being.
This is the bottom line on how I see it:
Browsing is infinitely better on a computer - usually faster, more capabilities, and a much bigger screen which is easier to see. By comparison, mobile browsing is inefficient. Other than emergencies where info from the internet is needed and a computer isn't available, there isn't much reason to do it.
Texting takes more time and effort than a simple phone call (more keys pressed, etc.). Compared to a phone call where more information can be exchanged faster and easier, it is tremendously inefficient. In fact, other than emergencies or other situations where you can't talk but absolutely need communicate with someone, there isn't much reason to do it.
I do think that's a cool resource of information you posted a link to, though.