Initially created for the hearing impaired in 1995, text messaging, or SMS, short-message service, didn't go over very well at first. Subscribers were reluctant to use the service for fear of the cost. But today, 2.5 billion text messages, are sent on a daily basis, according to a survey conducted by the mobile industry trade association, CTIA. Not bad, for a service that was originally thought of as being too difficult and impersonal to use.
Features
Text messaging is the term used for sending a short message, containing no more than 160 characters, to someone else's cell phone or PDA. Finding it difficult to express themselves, with only 160 characters, users turned phrases like, "By the way", into "BTW," or "Oh my God," into "OMG."
Text messaging not only has its own vernacular, but users have also found a way to express emotions as well. If a user uses all capital letters it implies he is yelling. A colon followed by a closed parenthesis implies happiness. The list continues to grow.
A full list of text abbreviations and meanings can be found on websites like Webopedia or Wikipedia.
Effects
One-third of the 200 million cell-phone users who employ short message services do so for both business and pleasure. Today, a full qwerty keyboad can be found on most cell phones, IPhones and Blackberry's.
The cost to receive and send text messages has doubled in just two years. However, most providers have unlimited text messaging packages that cost around $20.00 a month. But if you do not have an unlimited texting package, be prepared to pay .20 per text or more.
Significance
Users use texting for various reasons. First dates, flirting, and even break-ups have all happened thanks to texting. Face-to-face interaction is hard for some people, so testing is a great alternative. It's the freedom to say what you want without being censored by the receivers reaction. "You don't see the person's upper lip tremble. You don't hear their voice quiver. You don't get those external, non-textual cues," said Amanda Lenhart, a senior researcher at the Pew Internet & American Life Project.
Warning
With every new great phenomenon there is also danger. AAA conducted a survey that appeared in the August issue of Seventeen magazine, where 46% of teens admitted to texting while driving. So law officials are trying to pass severe penalties for teens, and adults, who cause accidents because they have been texting while driving.
In additon to the dangers that texting can create on the roads, teachers are becoming less impressed with texting jargon showing up in papers, and they are also coming up with stiff penalties for students who use the improper language in the classroom.
Benefits
Texting served a lifeline when the Gulf Coast was devastated by Hurricane Katrina. It was a reliable means of communication for responders and victims. For a few days, it was the only way for survivors to reach their loved ones to let them know they were safe. Even after the disaster, officials insisted that any responders who did not know use the short message service be trained to do so.
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