The utilization of SMS or text messages as a form of communication first gained popularity among cell phone users in Asia, particularly the Philippines, which has been known as the texting capital of the world. SMS or more popularly known as text messages are now all over the world. This kind of text communication using a hand held cell phone has now grown to be the most widely used form of communication around the world between cell phone users.

Early model of cell phones that still uses the analog technology does not have the capacity for SMS but only for voice messaging. But when the digital cell phones begun emerging in the market, SMS or text messages that actually were not supposed to have a market as cell phone companies have purposely developed cell phones for voice communication between cell phone users, emerged and even outnumbered cell phone users who would use their phones for voice communication. SMS can only be made through digital phones and never on analog cell phones. When cell phone makers realized that phone users are more favoring the use of SMS or text messaging as their form of communication between cell phone users, production of cell phones that uses the analog technology was soon stopped and replaced by digital technology to accommodate SMS or text messaging system.

The use of SMS or text messages in cell phones have later on gained acceptance in western countries such as the United States and even in Europe where most users prefer to communicate by voice using their cell phones. As of late, however, the number of text users in these countries have risen enormously considering the very low charges that communication companies are charging SMS users.

The success of cell phone manufacturers especially the makers of Nokia phones, who were one of the first cell phone makers specializing in digital communication, was brought about because of the lure of SMS or text messages. Soon enough, makers of various digital equipments begun to develop applications that would incorporate SMS or text messages. That is why if you do not have a cell phone, you can still send an SMS or text message to tour friend's cell phone through the use of the internet. There are now a lot of SMS applications on the internet where you can send and receive text messages from your friend's cell phone.

Because of the low charge by cell phone communication companies of their SMS or text messaging services, it has now become the darling of businessmen in conducting their businesses. Aside from making friends through text, this text messaging service has now even used to bolster the earnings of TV stations and the cell phone communication companies themselves by staging raffle draws and contest with the public participation through text. messages.

Language educators however, have now just realized that the impact of text messages in the vocabulary of their children who are fond of texting their friends using the text language that they themselves have formed, is slowly eating away at the language skill of these new generation of students. Even in students writing composition, SMS or text languages are now beginning to emerge as more and more students have become addicted to texting. They now tend to spell the word love as luv, the word and as n and many more English words into some types of shortcut they alone seemed to understand.