SMS are short text messages that are sent via mobile (cell) telephony.
SMS is an acronym that can refer to different concepts. Its most common use, however, is associated with the English notion of Short Message Service (which can be translated as "Short Message Service" ).
SMS , therefore, is the cellular ( mobile ) telephone service that makes it possible to send and receive text messages of reduced length. These messages themselves are also known as SMS .
SMS origin
Developed in the mid- 1980s , the original SMS allowed messages to be created between 140 and 160 seven-bit characters. Over time, the service began to include other options, such as the possibility of adding content beyond the text or joining different messages to increase the length.
SMS processing occurs in the Short Message Service Center ( SMSC ). For such processing to be possible, each message includes data such as the telephone number of the recipient and the sender, the date on which it was sent, etc.
Due to the immediacy of the contact and the fact that they are cheaper than engaging in voice communication over the telephone , SMS became widespread throughout the world and even brought about important social changes.
With the advent of smartphones, the popularity of SMS decreased.
Its popularity and impact
The limitation of writing space, for example, gave rise to a new language based on abbreviations . If a person writes to another "What's wrong?" Why aren't you coming? , will be indicating: «What's wrong with you? Why don't you come? . To convey emotions, in addition, the use of so-called emoticons or emoticons is common.
The popularity of SMS and cell phones also prompted the development of a new form of advertising : companies send their promotions and offers through this type of messages.
SMS today
With the arrival of smartphones , the importance of SMS began to decline. Although it still has a place in the world of telecommunications today, the possibilities offered by instant messaging systems through mobile phones are much greater; For example, although telephone companies usually offer hundreds of free messages per month to their customers, programs such as WhatsApp or Telegram are always free and do not have a message limit, all without forgetting that they allow you to send all types of messages. files, including videos and images, as well as recording voice messages.
SMS evolved over time to offer the so-called MMS ( Multimedia Messaging Service , which can be translated as " Multimedia Messaging Service"), thanks to which it is possible to send and receive mixed content, which can include photos, sound and video. One of the benefits of MMS is that it also allows you to send messages directly to email accounts. However, despite its potential, the limit of each message does not usually exceed 300 KB, an insignificant number compared to other services, especially within the framework of mobile applications.
But the technological advances of mobile phones and communication networks have not managed to completely eliminate the presence or usefulness of SMS, since even today the adoption of smartphones is not absolute. On the other hand, fear of attacks such as identity theft causes many people to avoid systems like WhatsApp and continue using SMS to feel more secure. In addition, it remains a more private medium, since it does not give the receiver more information than the sender's phone number, and does not allow him to know if he is online, in the same way that the latter cannot know if the recipient has read his messages. messages.