Ah, middle school. Days filled with academia, afternoons with clandestine MTV viewing sessions (Laguna Beach, anyone?), and evenings with some serious post-homework instant messaging. As if we didn’t see each other enough during the day, my best friend and I would then talk on the computer after school. After all, that was prime time for gossiping about our latest in a long line of crushes. Instant messaging – or IMing, if you’re hip with the lingo of 2003 – let us carry on as if we were still sitting and gabbing between classes. It allowed us to continue dissecting the actions of the upperclassmen we were quite fond of.
but did u see how he turned n looked rite @ me in lunch?
he definitely lykes me!omg LoL ya! definitely!! brb, dinner.
*Names withheld to protect the thoroughly embarrassed.
These profound exchanges continued for hours, much to the chagrin of my parents who said they needed the computer more than I did. I found that claim laughable, and doubted anything could be more important… other than, perhaps, the prospect of something greater. In eighth grade, the powers that be blessed me with a cell phone: a Sony Ericsson z525.
*cue heavenly choirs*
Go ahead, marvel at that small brick’s beauty. Sure, it was no Motorola Razr v3 or T-Mobile Sidekick, but it was a cell phone and it was mine! This was a momentous occasion, as I was receiving it a full two years after most other kids already had their own cell phones. While I may have been late to the party, I wasted no time catching up. I now had the ability to continue conversations free from the shackles of dial-up, and in the privacy of my room. This was revolutionary!
Looking back on this specific moment, I can’t help but feel such nostalgia for what were, to me, simpler times. It feels like just yesterday that I was first bestowed the honor of text messaging, and yet somehow, it also feels like a lifetime ago. To think that my middle school experience is forever intertwined with such a pivotal change in interpersonal communication boggles my mind a bit. I was coming of age in a time when school friends still passed physical notes to each other during class. Yet gradually, as digital technology and the internet creeped into relevance, those of us who had access to America Online were able to partake in IMing. Much to my surprise, however, this format was actually precluded by texting. The first text message in history was sent in December of 1992 – nearly a quarter of a century ago. Why is it, then, that texting took so long to filter into the mainstream?
Well, cell phones wouldn’t actually have texting capabilities for a few more years – this historic text message was sent from a computer keyboard to a cell phone that couldn’t even respond. Even so, in the early ’90s cell phones were considered to be more of a luxury, reserved for high-power businessmen and corporate officials. Lay people instead relied on beepers: a more affordable mode of communication.
This spawned a kind of text messaging prototype that used sequences of numbers stringed together to send coded messages. Though newer models emerged, and number codes were exchanged for legible words, beepers were soon left in the dust. In late 1996/early 1997, both cell phones with full texting capability and AOL Instant Messenger (AIM)* were introduced to the general public.
At the time, competition wasn’t all that cut-throat: cell phones were still fairly pricey, and AIM was being offered free of charge. This led to a surge in AIM use, until cell phones were made more affordable in the early ‘00s. However, while adults reveled in the cellular world, we pre-teens were resigned to using the tech we could get our hands on. For the low, low price of free, we weren’t complaining. Not too often, anyway.
But now, years later, the excitement has died down and the newness has worn off. Texting has become second nature to us. This is the point driven home about many technologies in Bertram Bruce and Maureen Hogan’s article. Cell phones and texting are now a universal technology, for the most part afforded by all. Over time, these devices and capabilities have seamlessly woven their way into our daily lives. Though so many argue that the text message phenomenon is crippling our ability to sustain personal relationships, both platonic and romantic, I would argue the opposite. Because we can shoot a quick message to nearly anyone on the planet (with some fees incurred for long-distance) at any time of day, we are able to foster relationships that would have potentially floundered in the era of written letters.
Texting was presented as a faster, more convenient way to communicate with others and has led the way for more accessible messaging apps like iMessage, WhatsApp, and Facebook Messenger. Even the content of text messages has undergone significant changes – from just words, to emoticons using keyboard characters, to emojis, to even more personalized Bitmojis, plus the inclusion of photos, videos, and links to webpages. We can communicate volumes in these short bursts. I think it’s safe to say that the SMS has lived up to its original purpose, and then some. And on that note, I’m going to take a break from all technology for a bit. Let’s see how long I last before I compulsively check my phone.
Featured image source: giphy.com
*Note: After 20 years, AOL will be shutting down its AIM service in December 2017.
God-speed, little guy. 
Tech Tidbits 
I love that you chose texting and related it back to AIM! I, too, have plenty of cringe-worthy moments to reflect back on from those days.
I agree that the ability to text is pretty universal to owning a cell phone, and that it has really revolutionized the way we build (and break down) relationships. Prior to instant messaging, communicating socially with people in different countries required either an expensive long distance call or written correspondence, which was hardly instant. Now, with the apps you mentioned, it’s free and truly instant.
It is also interesting to read your reflection on the stages texting took to get to this “invisible” point. It started as a tool of the wealthy and slowly made its way to the middle classes (but was still restricted in many ways; I remember getting some angry lectures from my parents when I went over my text message allotment.) When texting became free, suddenly it was available to anyone with a cell phone-that’s 92% of the United States, according to a recent Pew report.
There are still negatives to texting, which is true of any technology (sexting, bullying, etc) but I agree that for the most part, it’s a very positive technology that has bound our society closer together.
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Hi Veronica,
As I read your story about instant messaging with your friend, I pictured myself on the telephone with my best friend. What a difference time makes.
Would you believe that I had to be dragged onto a smartphone, only about 4 years ago (yes, really). Now, I can’t do without it. The most important thing on it, for me, is the ability to be in constant and instant contact with my loved ones…text messaging. I love What’s App because I can “talk” to my relatives in Jamaica without spending an extra dime. And, because of that fact, we keep up with each other more frequently. (When our family travels abroad, we use What’s App to keep in contact with our house sitter or pet sitter.)
I don’t like that texting has led to the deterioration of the written language. And, I do hate that, often, texting has replaced a more personal contact. The voice.
My son doesn’t call much. But he does text. I sometimes long for the sound of his voice (he is only in LA); but, I love it when an unexpected text pops up—especially if it is not asking for a favor :-). Gone are the long conversations with female friends, replaced by a multitude of texts that sometimes span over hours and days. But, they’re more convenient. I can knock 10 out while watching TV. Go to sleep and finish conversations the next day. You can’t do that while talking on the phone. Of course, we can’t let texting totally replace more personal contact (in-person and voice communication). But, I love that texting allows me the ability to juggle many things at once, I can (try) to get it all done, and still keep the flames of friendship burning.
Carol
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