After watching other presentations about our world of technology, I was most fascinated with the invention of SMS texting. Developed in 1984 by the Franco-German GSM Cooperation, this short message service was invented to include written communication features on mobile devices. Before SMS texting was available, communication happened via landline through pagers, in person, or through letter writing. Our society would be lost without FaceTime, social media apps, or group messaging; therefore, we should be forever grateful for Friedhelm Hillebrand and Bernard Ghillebaert of GSM Cooperation's for setting the foundation of advanced, communicative technology.
SMS texting stands for 'short message service' because at first, the message only allowed for a maximum of 160 characters. As technology advanced and people started understanding the key to this type of communication, that maximum increased and eventually became unlimited for certain devices. Although SMS texting was first developed in 1984, the first text was not officially sent until 1992 - almost 10 years later. The popularity and advancement of texting grew gradually from .4 texts per month to about 35 by 2000.
The physical processes of SMS texting began with a multi-tap system on older phones, such as the Blackberry, where certain keys on the number pad corresponded with letters of the alphabet. Honestly, this seemed pretty confusing when I was a child and would play on my parents' old phones, so it's a good thing technology has advanced for the millennial and generation Z young adults. The process then shifted to a T-9 system, a texting prediction system where specific numbers in a row would automatically introduce a word - similar to the automatic prediction process for texting today. (We are all lazy nowadays!) Last but not least the T-9 system shifted to the regular keyboard we have today on touchscreen phones, with the addition of the Swype feature in 2011 - another lazy way to communicate, just a swipe of the finger, not a tap of thumbs.
It's unbelievable to think that our parents' generations didn't have any of the technology like we have today. I can't imagine pulling out my flip phone to make a quick text in between classes; I'm sure it wasn't even possible to text without a teacher noticing then. As communication is ever changing and advancing, we've had other additions, such as voice to text readings or watches we can text or speak on. Who knows where the next brightest mind will take us, and what innovations will transform our lives once again.
Sources
Presentation during EOTO Class on Feb. 10 - Mary Sosebee (Group 3)
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