Anniversary of the world’s first-ever text message

Today marks 25 years since the world’s first-ever text message was sent.

Neil Papworth, a then-22 year old engineer, typed the inaugural words “Merry Christmas” on a computer keyboard at Vodaphone’s Christmas party in the United Kingdom on December 3, 1992.

Following the technological breakthrough, Nokia developed the first text-enabled phone handset- but the world was slow to adopt the new form of communication.

In 1995, the average American sent 0.4 texts per month, according to Mashable.

Nowadays, that average has grown to 67 texts per day, with SMS the most widely used data application across the globe.

The way humans send SMS has also advanced with the exponential development of smartphones.

Voice recognition can now be used to write a message, and then there’s the now-ubiquitous emoji keyboard that helps reduce the often-misinterpreted tone of an SMS.

The latest iPhone model, the iPhone X, pushes texting to another level, allowing users to send animated emojis based on their facial expression.

As for what comes next for the SMS, tech experts believe it’s future is bright and will be further utilised by companies to increase customer engagement.