Running Head: ORIGIN AND DEVELOPMENT OF TEXTING
Origin and development of texting
Origin and development of texting
Phone Texting Technology
Phone texting or SMS (Short Message Service, as originally and commonly referred though it has acquired various colloquialisms in different geographical areas), refers to a phone platform from which brief text messages, consisting of a maximum of 160 characters, are sent either to or from a cell phone. The alphabets of the cell phones’ keypad are used to type the text messages. Phone text are charged a little fee, monthly charges or are offered free of charge by various cell pone service providers.
The Origin of Phone Texting Technology
The first concept of phone texting was hatched in 1984 and is credited to Friedhelm Hillebrand, Bernard Ghillebaert and Oculy Silaban, a Franco-German GSM team. The notion was to provide a platform where short one-way information. The team developed a method of transmitting short text message, with 128 bytes, using the signaling technology of the then existing cell phones. In 1985, the Franco-German GSM certified the use of text messaging and its various GSM divisions set to work on the various protocols of the text message like implementations. “The operators of Germany and France proposed a structure of teleservices and bearer services aligned with ISDN definitions and a broad portfolio of services including a new service called ‘short message transmission’ (Friedhelm, Trosby, Harris & Holley, 2010) . The configuration of sending a short message from the fixed network to a mobile subscriber was described.” (35)
The main purpose of hatching the concept of text messaging is said to be as an avenue to regulate the traffic created by cell phones when there was no signaling traffic. Therefore, because of that perception, all cell phone service providers were forced to update their software with a Short Message Service Center. Later when the SMS traffic grew, came the requirement to update the software with radio capacity development and reliable network coverage. However, it wasn’t until 3 December 1992 in U.K. when the first text messaging was sent by Neil Papworth, an engineer at the present day Airwide Solutions, to Richard Jarvis, a Vodafone subscriber: I was a “Merry Christmas” wish. It was sent from a desktop computer. For commercial purposes, the first was sent in Sweden through the Aldiscon service provider in 1993.
The Development of Phone Texting Technology
It is worth noting that that first ever phone texting was sent from a desktop computer simply because by then, cell phone had not been equipped with alphabetical letters. However, for the last more than two decades ever since it was first used, phone texting has undergone significant developments. Considering the warm reception that phone texting got from the public, taking the engineers by surprise, phone texting has been developed and consequently, boosted the customer base in form of subscription.
The phone texting service is limited to 160 alphabetical characters and in some cases, where alphabets that consume more memory are used, less those 160 characters. Over time, just like in a process of evolution, people came up with ideas on how to shrewdly utilize that space to the maximum. Thus people developed innovative abbreviations where the text messaging had as little words as possible but at the same time retaining the meaning. However, it took people quite some time to embrace those abbreviations as they were hard to grasp. People who hadn’t the capacity to use the innovative abbreviations were seen as “outcasts” and they took the pain of facing the new challenge. (Lynne and Lasen, 2005) “Abbreviations, acronyms and text-based emoticons (such as CUL8R,LOL and smiley faces, e.g , 😉 adapted from Internet messaging were brought to texting, by younger users, in order ton ease message composition.” (83)
In 2003, there came a form of text messaging in U.S. where short codes, 5 to6 digits, came to use for activities such as subscription campaigns. During the phone texting wasn’t yet fully embraced, it was a free service but when heavy subscription from people came it became mostly a charged service and thus hen people used innovations, they make the most out of their subscription fee. Thses innovations include 143 (I Love You), 4 U (For you) among others.
Societal Impact of Cell Phone Texting
Some drivers create road traffic while juggling between driving and texting and in some case; they cause road carnage which claim hundreds of lives every month worldwide. There are subscribers who send many messages in a single day and it may not be a surprise to see people who send a hundred in a day. This mostly arises from addiction which is can be exhibited by withdrawal symptoms or agitation when there is no network signal (Richard, Palen & Taylor, 2005). Since texting involves writing words in simple forms, it can lead to poor writing skills; it also makes one anti-social because there is no one on one conversation, rather communication is done through the electronic media; also, according to a psychology, Dania Diaz, it doesn’t only ruins one’s expression skills, but also “ everything becomes so personal and simple.”
A Linguist professor from University of Texas, Richard Teschner concurred with Dania Diaz when he opined that phone texting negatively affects the linguistic growth of teenagers, “ young people use this form of communication; their brains get accustomed to picturing words in short text forms.” Phone text messaging has the tenacity to be too much impersonal. The abbreviations used in texting can be giving the wrong message (Marziah, 2010). There are cases where people have misunderstood such texts, such as where one text messaging receiving party wrongfully interprets a text and unaware, goes to the location or at the wrong time. This could have adverse effects if such locations were for stricture schedules such as job interviews. Also, most users who are teens recklessly use their parents’ hard earned money.
They text messaging, if made by students in classrooms, may cause distraction from the subject being lectured thus leading to low performances of in exams. It can create some form of prejudice since those who send text messages view themselves as trendy.
References
Friedhelm, H., Trosby F., Harris I & Holley K. (2010). Short Message Service (SMS): The Creation of Personal Global Text Messaging. New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons.
Lynne, H. & Lasen A. (2005). Mobile world: past, present and future. New Mexico: Springer.
Marziah, K. (2010). Android for Work: Productivity for Professionals. New York: Apress.
Richard, H., Palen A.L. & Taylor S.A. (2005). The inside text: social, cultural and design perspectives on SMS. New Mexico: Springer.
