It was December 1992 when software programmer Neil Papworth wished his friend a ‘Merry Christmas’ with the first SMS message ever sent. Now it’s twenty years later and SMS messaging has overtaken speaking on the phone and even face-to-face contact.
Eight trillion texts are sent a year and around 15 million are sent from mobiles every minute*. After checking the time, texting is the second most popular way to use a mobile.
Even with all of the advancements in technology over the past two decades, texting still surpasses email and social media messaging and 92% of smart phone users would rather send a text than use other methods.
Many bemoan that the use of texts and text-speak (such as LOL, L8R and 2moro) are causing damage to language and literacy, however research from Coventry University has found that a group of 12 year olds with fluent text messaging skills had better literacy skills than those who didn’t text.
For all of the pros for SMS messaging, there are also a great deal of cons: people have used texts to ‘cyber bully’ and text messaging has led to the sending of explicit images, known as ‘sexting’. Driving while texting has caused dangerous and fatal accidents on the road and many are left red faced when they partake in some drunken texting.
Texting is definitely my preferred way to communicate using my mobile phone; you can be succinct, to the point and quick. It’s a shame that we are texting more than meeting face-to-face but texting definitely makes my life easier.
* http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2012/dec/01/text-messaging-20-years