A study done by Scott W. Campbell and Tracy C. Russo was published in Communication Monographs stating the following:

The purpose of this study was to test the argument that perceptions and uses of mobile phones are socially constructed in close personal networks. The study hypothesized that, through collective sense making, perceptions and uses of mobile phones would be more similar within 45 personal communication networks than for the entire sample of194 individuals. Findings from a self-report survey reveal that several factors were significantly more similar within the networks than for individuals throughout the sample, including perceptions of the handset as a means of display, use for safety and security, attitudes about use in public, microcoordination, hypercoordination, and comfort with technology. Interviews were conducted to explore how perceptions and uses were shaped through relationships and interactions situated in social context. The interview data illuminate how social interaction contributed to perceptions and uses in four key areas: mobile phone adoption, attitudes about products and services, perceptions of non-normative use, and collective use. Results of the study serve as evidence supporting the argument that perceptions and uses of communication technologies are, at least in part, constructed socially among close personal contacts. This study demonstrates why it is important for researchers to consider social contacts and social contexts when examining the implications of communication technologies

How many of you started using SMS because you received one from a friend? Do you think you would have started using it if you never got one?

Replying to an SMS is a basic example of viral propagation of a new service. It has power also in the fact that it is a push mechanism – just like a phone call, it is popping a message up and alerting the user without requiring any initiation on the user’s part. I think it serves as a delivery mechanism to introduce users to other new things as well – and if you combine that with friend recommendations, you stay out of Spam-Space and make the desire to probe deeper that much more compelling.