Why Australians still text 'LOL' to confirm they got your message

The SMS era made us economical with words

If you've ever received a text from an older relative that just says "OK" or "Got it", you're witnessing a beautiful relic of Australian mobile history. Back in the early 2000s, when SMS credits were rationed and every message cost real money, Australians became masters of brevity. We still are.

Unlike many countries where unlimited SMS was standard, Australian carriers for years bundled texts conservatively—50 here, 100 there. Want to send more? You'd pay per message, sometimes 25 cents a pop. That forced discipline into our thumbs.

The unintended legacy

Even now, when most plans include unlimited (or near-unlimited) texts as standard, we haven't quite shaken the habit. Australians still tend to:

• Use shorthand and abbreviations instinctively
• Send multiple short messages instead of one long one
• Confirm receipt with a single emoji or "K" rather than a full sentence
• Think twice before sending an MMS (image messages were expensive)

It's not rudeness—it's just the ghost of 2003 SMS pricing haunting our keyboards.

What changed?

The shift happened gradually. As bundled SMS allowances grew and unlimited plans became competitive, the economics of texting flipped. But the psychology lingered. We'd learned to be efficient, and efficiency became part of our texting culture.

Interestingly, this thriftiness also primed Australians to embrace eSIMs and travel plans quite enthusiastically. When you've spent years thinking carefully about your communication allowances, comparing data buckets and plan options feels almost natural.

The moral of the story

Australian mobile culture was shaped by scarcity, and scarcity breeds smart decision-making. That's why, even in 2024, many of us still comparison-shop our plans rather than mindlessly renew—we're just doing what feels right.

So next time you send a terse "yep" via SMS, know that you're honouring two decades of carrier-imposed frugality. And if you're looking to break those old habits and actually find a plan that deserves your long, thoughtful messages, that's exactly what SimBuddy is here for. We help you compare domestic plans, eSIMs, and travel packs so you get a fair deal—no SMS credits required to understand it.

Happy Friday! 📱