Well, it looks like texting is no longer a teenager. LOL, OMG! These silly idioms that we know so well today would probably not be present in our popular culture if not for the lineage of short message services that go far back beyond texting’s 20th birthday. In the beginning there was fire-smoke signals. Separating smoke was the first method of conveying information quickly across a great distance. I’ve always wondered though, was there ever a codified system for smoke-signaling or was it basically information that would carry regardless of smoke pattern? Regardless, smoke signaling has since evolved into more and more elaborate mediums and devices in subsequent centuries.
In regards to Mr. Text however, it seems that there has been a decline in text messaging in general for the first time in 20 years. Is it true? Is text messaging really dying? Well, yes and no. It seems that a large reason for the decline has to do with the rise in IP messaging. Because of Apple’s iMessage, iPhone users can text fellow iPhones for free. This has lead to nearly 300 billion text messages sent as of last October. This is a huge move on Apple’s part, and it will be interesting to see where SMS messaging will go in the future. Happy Birthday texting!
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