Actually yes. I ignore all SMSes. WhatsApp is the go-to communication method in Israel. SMS is only for government services and a company from whom I've ordered from in the past.

I get zero advertising now that I moved. It's liberating.

Relying on Facebook for communication. Horrifying.

Yes they get ignored because that's the entry point for scammers building lists of active numbers. Same as one should mute but not disconnect spam voice calls as that gives them info about your presence.

I’ve heard this “active number” and “active email” thing for a while, but isn’t the fact that the message wasn’t “returned” undeliverable a sign already? If I send an email to a GMail account that doesn’t exist, Google will reply that the account doesn’t exist. It’s the same with calling (every carrier) and texting (at least with AT&T; I just tested it)

At most I might send back a "Who is this?", but yes, I'd probably ignore it if it wasn't signed by a familiar name.