Because you're 12 or whatever and do have a phone and so-and-so just texted that everyone (omg, right) is actually going to be down by the river instead, are you coming?

Of course you are, but tanseydavid thinks he's meeting you in town and doesn't have a phone...

Teens don't plan things this way. It's more like, a few are together somewhere, someone is coming late, and the group is a moving target.

I'm only just old enough for it, but before mobile phones (I mean, they existed, but we were schoolchildren not businesspeople, before small relatively cheap Nokias I suppose) we'd 'call on' people to see if they were in and if so did they want to do whatever/go wherever... Thinking about it now, I think mobiles probably had quite a role in changing that: we got phones and then just started texting (hey wuu2 do u wnt 2 go in2 town l8r) instead.

I imagine now it's just straight to the latter, (albeit with less txt spk and more memes & emoji) because children get phones and start making their own plans at about the same age. (And not by coincidence probably - they're arranging to meet friends and going out alone, so parent wants to be able to contact them, to stay in the loop, etc.)

its called spontaneity, and that's a healthy thing.

if you find out about something interesting that you didn't know before, why should you not be able to change your plans to go see or do it?

hey, i just got some free tickets for that show, so how about we cancel dinner and go there?