History

• According to Text Power, a veteran wireless software company, text messages were initially used by carriers as a method of communicating with their customers. The text provision proved useful for relaying billing information and minute usage. Pix Drop, the ground-breaking web program launching the first free picture messaging option, records that the first picture message wasn't introduced until the early 21st century.
  
  

Acronyms

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  When referencing text, a wireless carrier may use one of two acronyms. SMS, as defined by Purdue, is a "short message service that provides short messages up to 160 characters of text in a store and forward mode." MMS, multimedia messaging service, is used when referring to a message that allows for four modes of messaging. MMS is designed to support an image, text message, audio clip and video to be sent or received simultaneously.
  
  

Cost

• Popular wireless providers such as T-Mobile offer unlimited texting plans that can be bundled with minute services for $10 to $15 a month as of 2010. Customers who choose to pay for message per use are subject to the price of $.20 per sent or received text/picture message.
  
  

Restrictions

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  Text messages are only capable of supporting 160 characters per message, this includes symbols and spaces. Cellular manufacturers such as Motorola, Samsung and LG vary on picture quality. According to T-Mobile, any picture file larger than 300KB will not be sent successfully regardless of the phone.
  
  

Concerns

• The Seattle Times highlighted concerns raised by parents and physicians alike regarding text messaging, citing "anxiety, distraction in school, falling grades, repetitive stress injury and sleep deprivation." Picture messaging has developed its own set of problems with "sexting." On Jan. 15, 2009, MSNBC reported the case of a small group of young teens who were charged with child pornography for both sending and receiving naked pictures of themselves.