Texting
Texting has emerged as a major form of communication in contemporary society, particularly among younger generations. Originating as "short message service" (SMS) in 1994, it gained popularity with advancements in mobile technology, enabling users to send not just text but also multimedia messages like photos and videos. By the early 2000s, texting became a cultural phenomenon, and by 2013, a significant portion of teenagers in the U.S. owned smartphones and actively engaged in texting, often favoring it over traditional phone calls. While texting offers instantaneous communication and connectivity, it has raised concerns regarding distractions, particularly when combined with activities like driving. Many states have enacted laws to prohibit texting while driving due to its association with traffic accidents. Furthermore, the rise of texting has sparked debates about its impact on language skills and face-to-face interactions. Despite these concerns, texting is generally preferred over phone calls, with studies indicating rapid response rates. Overall, texting is recognized as a transformative technological advancement that has reshaped modern communication practices.
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Texting
Texting has become one of the predominant ways modern society communicates. Mobile devices allow people to send multimedia messages, including pictures and videos, as well as simple typed messages. As of 97 percent of Americans owned a cellphone, and 82 percent of cell phone owners regularly used their phone to send or receive text messages.
By the start of the twenty-first century, mobile technology was a part of daily life for many Americans. Cell phone users were accustomed to faster connection speeds and more enhanced features. A surge of new devices that offered additional connectivity emerged as the communications industry realized the potential for such a market. First introduced to mobile phones as “short message service” (SMS) in 1994, text messaging, commonly called texting, grew popular as mobile phone technology improved. By the early 2000s, texting had become a social phenomenon, especially among the younger generation. It further permeated the culture with the advent of smartphones and social media computer technology, as users were able to download applications to send text messages through the Internet.
Cell phone providers soon updated their technologies to allow users to send and receive pictures and videos. Many users—most notably teenagers—soon preferred texting over having phone conversations. By 2004, 45 percent of teenagers owned cell phones; by the end of 2013, 78 percent owned a cell phone, 47 percent of whom owned a smartphone. In a survey conducted by the Pew Research Center in the summer of 2009, one-third of the teens surveyed reported sending more than one hundred text messages per day; 43 percent of participants sent at least one text message per day while in school. Many questioned the distraction caused by texting, and eventually some schools banned cell phone use in the classroom. Because people tend to divert their attention exclusively to their phones while texting—even while engaged in such activities as driving a car—many critics became concerned about the activity.
Texting and Driving
By the time texting became widespread, people were already used to talking on the phone while driving. Texting while behind the wheel was a natural progression. As texting normally required people to avert their eyes to their phone and remove their hand from the steering wheel, texting while driving is very dangerous. A 2009 study conducted by Car and Driver magazine found that the drivers surveyed were more distracted when texting than when driving drunk. This activity was especially common among teenagers. A 2009 Pew Research Center survey found that 26 percent of all American teenagers have texted while driving. According to a 2024 report by Partners for Safe Teen Driving, cell phone use was responsible for 12.1 percent of fatal automobile crashes among American teenagers.
In 2007, Washington became the first state to pass a law banning texting while driving. As of 2015, forty-four states, as well as the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam, and the US Virgin Islands, have banned text messaging for all drivers. Federal legislators have attempted to withhold federal highway funds from states that did not make texting while driving illegal. Many states have enacted primary enforcement laws prohibiting the activity, which allows law enforcement officers to cite drivers for texting while driving without any other offenses. Worldwide, many countries have banned any kind of cell phone use, including talking and texting, while driving.
Social Impact
Texting has inspired debate on a number of issues. Some scholars believed that the abbreviated language used in text messages was damaging to language in general and has affected people’s ability to spell. Many worried that too much texting would hinder people’s ability to hold face-to-face conversations. This concern was mainly directed at adolescents, who at that age are still developing social skills. According to a report by SMS Comparison in 2024, 90 percent of Americans prefer text messages to phone calls, and 95 percent of text messages are read and responded to within three minutes of being received.
Impact
Throughout the 2000s, the rise of texting has given the world a broader sense of connectivity than ever before. Though it proved to be beneficial in terms of instant contact, texting was also credited with creating some separation in terms of generational etiquette. While older cell phone users were comfortable with spoken conversations, both face-to-face and by telephone, younger generations, particularly those who grew up with texting technology, began to take a different approach to human interaction. In a 2024 report by 99firms, the average American sends about thirty-two texts per day. Those between the ages of thirty-five and forty-four send the most text messages per day, about fifty-two. Some estimates counted trillions of text messages being sent each year worldwide, making it one of the most important technological advances in history. As the price of cell phones dropped, texting has become increasingly popular worldwide.
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