Editing Text messaging (section)

{{Short description|Act of typing and sending a brief, digital message}}
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{{For|chatting in general|online chat}}
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[[File:SMS composition on feature phone.png|thumb|A text message using [[SMS]] – the 160 character limit and difficulty of typing on [[feature phone]] keypads led to the abbreviations of "[[SMS language]]".]]
[[File:Funny text message conversation.png|thumb|A text message conversation on an iPhone]]
'''Text messaging''', or '''texting''', is the act of composing and sending electronic messages, typically consisting of alphabetic and numeric characters, between two or more users of [[mobile phone]]s, [[tablet computer]]s, [[smartwatch]]es, [[desktop computer|desktop]]s/[[laptop]]s, or another type of compatible computer. Text messages may be sent over a [[cellular network]] or may also be sent via [[Satellite phone|satellite]] or [[Internet]] connection.

The term originally referred to messages sent using the [[SMS|Short Message Service]] (SMS) on mobile devices. It has grown beyond alphanumeric text to include multimedia messages using the [[Multimedia Messaging Service]] (MMS) and [[Rich Communication Services]] (RCS), which can contain digital images, videos, and sound content, as well as [[ideogram]]s known as [[emoji]] ([[Smiley|happy face]]s, sad faces, and other icons), and on various [[instant messenger|instant messaging]] apps. Text messaging has been an extremely popular medium of communication since the turn of the century and has also influenced changes in society.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2004-04-23 |title=Europe, Asia embrace GR8 way to stay in touch |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna4787668 |access-date=2024-08-16 |website=NBC News |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Shannon |first=Victoria |date=2007-12-05 |title=15 years of text messages, a 'cultural phenomenon' |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/05/technology/05iht-sms.4.8603150.html |access-date=2024-08-05 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=IT in everyday life: View as single page {{!}} OpenLearn |url=https://www.open.edu/openlearn/science-maths-technology/it-everyday-life/content-section-2.1/?printable=1 |access-date=2024-08-04 |website=www.open.edu}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Wakeford |first=N. |date=2003-01-01 |title=A Social History of the Mobile Telephone with a View of its Future |url=https://www.academia.edu/3792105 |journal=Bt Technology Journal}}</ref>