Texting has become a constant in daily life across Canada and the United States, shaping how people share plans, news, and small moments in real time.
Texting is a habit many take for granted now, especially in North America, where younger people grew up with a screen-lit world of instant replies. For many, a short message is quicker than a phone call and fits into busy days, travel, and routines. The simplicity of a quick text has built a culture around immediacy, and it is easy to forget how new this practice once seemed. From classrooms to living rooms, in households and on commutes, texting acts as a quiet thread holding everyday life together.
Today marks more than three decades since the first text message was sent in 1992 by British engineer Neil Papworth. He sent the short note “Merry Christmas” from his computer to a friend’s mobile phone, and the message traveled instantly, forever changing how people communicate. The moment hinted at a future where messages could travel across networks in seconds, connecting people who were miles apart with nothing more than a keystroke.
The idea of sending messages via mobiles originated with Finnish civil servant Matti Makkonen, who outlined the concept of a mobile messaging service in 1984. That spark laid the groundwork for what would become SMS, an enduring standard that enabled brief, direct exchanges across cellular networks and set the pace for a new era of remote communication used by millions every day.
Today, billions of text messages are sent each year, and a large share comes from adolescents and young adults who grew up with portable screens as constant companions. In North America, teens and young adults often rely on texting to stay in touch with friends, coordinate plans, and share quick updates. Surveys show that more than half of people prefer texting over calling for everyday conversations, a trend that spans homes, schools, and workplaces across Canada and the United States.
When that first text arrived, no one could predict how swiftly it would weave itself into daily life. Over time, texting became a reliable, familiar habit that crosses generations, languages, and cultures, evolving from a simple two-word note into a global channel for notification, collaboration, and casual chat. It remains a core tool for quick communication in Canada and the United States, continuing to adapt as new messaging platforms emerge while preserving the core idea of a brief, direct message.