Editing Text messaging (section)

== Overview ==
Text messages are used for personal, family, business, and social purposes. Governmental and non-governmental organizations use text messaging for communication between colleagues. In the 2010s, the sending of short informal messages became an accepted part of many cultures, as happened earlier with [[email]]ing.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Morris |first1=Robert |last2=Pinchot |first2=Jamie |date=2010 |title=Conference on Information Systems Applied Research |url=http://proc.conisar.org/2010/pdf/1519.pdf |url-status=dead |journal=How Mobile Technology is Changing Our Culture |volume=3 |pages=10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210811090834/http://proc.conisar.org/2010/pdf/1519.pdf |archive-date=11 August 2021 |access-date=17 September 2017 |via=CONISAR}}</ref> This makes texting a quick and easy way to communicate with friends, family, and colleagues, including in contexts where a [[telephone call|call]] would be impolite or inappropriate (e.g., calling very late at night or when one knows the other person is busy with family or work activities). Like e-mail and [[voicemail]], and unlike calls (in which the caller hopes to speak directly with the recipient), texting does not require the caller and recipient to both be free at the same moment; this permits communication even between busy individuals. Text messages can also be used to interact with automated systems, for example, to order products or services from [[e-commerce]] websites or to participate in online contests. Advertisers and service providers use [[Direct Text Marketing|direct text marketing]] to send messages to mobile users about promotions, payment due dates, and other notifications instead of using [[Mail|postal mail]], [[email]], or [[voicemail]].

=== Terminology ===
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The service is referred to by different [[colloquialism]]s depending on the region. It may simply be referred to as a "text" in North America, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, and the Philippines; an "SMS" in most of mainland Europe; or an "MMS" or "SMS" in the Middle East, Africa, and Asia. The sender of a text message is commonly referred to as a "texter".