It's 20(twenty) years since the first text message was sent. The very first SMS, which stands for “Short Message Service”, was written by Neil Papworth, and it simply read: “Merry Christmas”.

The world now sends 7(seven) trillion text messages each year. It’s the most common form of communication in the UK. On average, every single person sends 50(fifty) messages each week. Text messaging also helped to create a new form of written communication: textspeak.
Textspeak evolved when senders started to shorten words so they could fit more words into their message, as SMS messages are limited to just 160(one hundred sixty) characters.

There were concerns that textspeak could have a negative impact on people's spelling and grammar. However, experts now argue that rather than damage a person's ability to communicate, it may actually help with the development of reading skills.

Recent research across messaging habits found: 18(eighteen) – 25(twenty five) year olds send more texts — on average 133(one hundred and thirty three) messages per week; men communicate via text more than women, but send shorter messages; and women are more likely to send long messages. But the popularity of text messaging seems to be on the decline. Usage is now dropping thanks to the rise of internet-enabled smartphones. These provide easier access to online social media, such as Facebook and Twitter, and apps whose messaging services are cheaper than sending SMS texts.

So as the text message celebrates its landmark birthday, who knows whether we'll still be sending SMS in another 20(twenty) years' time, or if it will be confined to the history books.

Cela fais maintenant 20 ans depuis que le premier message texte a été envoyé. Le premier SMS, qui signifie "Short Message Service", a été écrit par Neil Papworth, et il suffit de lire: "Joyeux Noël".

Le monde envoie maintenant 7,000,000,000,000 messages texte chaque année. C’est la forme la plus commune de communication