Although text messaging has allowed us to have instant communication, it has impaired our society's ability to communicate verbally, can potentially put users in danger and allows users to harness themselves and others with the push of a button. Text messaging is “a form of wireless communication in which users electronically send or receive short digital messages” (Galloway-Shoemaker). Over the years, texting has become an extremely popular trend that the majority of Americans with cell phones use today. Text messaging has certainly had a huge impact on our society, both positive and negative. Text messaging began in the early 1990s, with the first text message sent by Neil Papworth to Richard Jarvis in 1992. It was certainly the start of an era. for a new way of communicating. Texting was initially intended for use on landlines to help older people who couldn't hear very well over the phone. This idea has been applied to cell phones, however, and most people now use text messaging to converse with others rather than calling them. Over the years, the number of people texting has increased significantly and is expected to continue to grow (Shannon). As of September 30, 2010, more than seventy-two percent of people with cell phones sent and received text messages daily. Keeping this percentage in mind, more than four billion text messages are sent and received every day. The number of minutes used to communicate verbally on a cell phone has decreased from 3.13 minutes to 2.03 minutes over the past two years, with many households no longer having a traditional landline (Text Message Marketing Service). sent by teenagers. Eighty-seven percent...... middle of paper ......Sep. 2010. Internet. April 27, 2011. Hesse, Monica. “Text is cheap.” The Washington Post. The Washington Post, 2009. web. April 27, 2011. Knowles, Amanda. “Advantages and disadvantages of SMS.” Get the floor. The Community Word, March 14, 2009. Web. April 18, 2011. Martin, Shelby and Mackenzie Davis. “Experts say texting has both negative and positive effects.” Artesian Herald. Martinsville High School, March 19, 2009. Web. April 23, 2011. Shannon, Victoria. "15 Years of Text Messages, a 'Cultural Phenomenon'" The New York Times. The New York Times Company, December 5, 2007. Web. April 27, 2011.Text Message Marketing Service for Business - Group Text Messaging - Group SMS. “Text message statistics in 2010.” ExecuteText. RunText, September 30, 2010. Web. April 23, 2011. Wheeler, A. Barbara. “Texting affects communication skills.” Kent County Public Schools. Kent County Public Schools, 2010. Web. April 18. 2011.