Off Topic — Texting Etiquette

Can someone please explain to me why it is that some people see fit to text perfect strangers?

Honestly, I just don’t understand why some people choose to text someone with whom they’ve never interacted either on the phone, or via email. I mean, what kind of response are they expecting?

This has happened to me several times, as I’ve been looking for a new apartment on Craigslist. What kind of potential roommate or landlord would settle for texting someone they’ve never met, and with whom they’ve never even exchanged emails? What’s even creepier is that these people don’t even bother introducing themselves in their texts. So I’m left thinking “Who is this?” Their text messages go something like this:

“When do you want to see the room?”

I mean, what is it these people are expecting? Does anyone with a brain in his head think the person on the other end will agree to meet someone who doesn’t even bother properly introducing himself? Also, if I’ve responded to one one listing, I think it’s pretty safe to assume I’ve responded to several others as well. So not only do these people not introduce themselves in their texts, they don’t even bother including anything about their apartments. For example, they could email or call and say “This is X and I’m getting back to you regarding the room in Astoria for $700 a month.”

But it rarely goes this way. You would think that these people, who will be getting hundreds of dollars of extra money in their pockets from renting out rooms in their apartments would make an effort to present themselves decently. Also, wouldn’t they want to get some idea of who they would be meeting by at least talking to the person?

What do you guys think?