Text messaging

A text message using SMS – the 160 character limit and difficulty of typing on feature phone keypads led to the abbreviations of "SMS language".
A text message conversation on an iPhone

Text messaging, or simply texting, is the act of composing and sending electronic messages, typically consisting of alphabetic and numeric characters, between two or more users of mobile phones, tablet computers, smartwatches, desktops/laptops, or another type of compatible computer. Text messages may be sent over a cellular network or may also be sent via satellite or Internet connection.

The term originally referred to messages sent using the Short Message Service (SMS) on mobile devices. It has grown beyond alphanumeric text to include multimedia messages using the Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS) and Rich Communication Services (RCS), which can contain digital images, videos, and sound content, as well as ideograms known as emoji (happy faces, sad faces, and other icons), and on various instant messaging apps. Text messaging has been an extremely popular medium of communication since the turn of the century and has also influenced changes in society.[1][2][3][4]

  1. ^ "Europe, Asia embrace GR8 way to stay in touch". NBC News. 23 April 2004. Retrieved 16 August 2024.
  2. ^ Shannon, Victoria (5 December 2007). "15 years of text messages, a 'cultural phenomenon'". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 5 August 2024.
  3. ^ "IT in everyday life: View as single page | OpenLearn". www.open.edu. Retrieved 4 August 2024.
  4. ^ Wakeford, N. (1 January 2003). "A Social History of the Mobile Telephone with a View of its Future". Bt Technology Journal.