h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

This prevalence of texting is a European phenomenon. In the US, the (very few) GSM networks are in their infancy and charge a monthly fee for the use of text messaging. Most Americans I speak to (and I speak to a lot) are unaware of the cultural impact of texting in Europe. This is important and affects the development of ubiquitous computing devices because US ideas are usually based on a pager network (very popular in the States) and require substantial alterations to work in Europe. Japan is another matter altogether with i-mode (always on internet connectivity) now a mature product.

Also, I have to say I was surprised anyone ever abbreviates messages any more. My phone supports T9 input which makes it more trouble than it's worth.

I thought Britany Spears track 'Hit me baby one more time' (Or whatever the title was) was about text messages? Odd to write about something that no one in the States has heard of, or have I got my wires badly crossed somewhere?

That's not so much a correction, then, as a cultural variation as the entry doesn't restrict itself to geographical locations. This kind of communication isn't just limited to SMS either; rather it's a continuation of what people used to do on email.

In Europe, though, it is VERY popular (just look at the message boards on the BBC Communicate page - there are plenty of people wishing to post in SMS-speak). Personaly, I'm not a fan.

Jimster

Perhaps not a correction, but I would take issue with the opening para:

"Texting in today's world (2002) has become one of the most popular ways of communication. The rapid growth of SMS text messaging was due to the cheap access to the networks, the decreasing prices of mobile phones and the popularity it had with the youth market as the latest 'must-have' accessory."

Because that's simply too general. I agree that in certain countries it _is_ one of the most popular ways of communicating and it _has_ had rapid growth due to cheap access, but none of those things is true in the US (a huge market).