Research Question

[elliotsmelliot]

Here is a question I have not the memory or the experience to answer. Did people text each other back in 2003? If so, was in popular in England?

Comments

[aurilly]

Yep! But they called it SMS'ing. "I'll SMS you."

[elliotsmelliot]

Thanks! Is that the British term or just what it was called back then?

[aurilly]

I don't know if they've started saying "text" since then, but that was the term over there back then. :)

[elliotsmelliot]

Excellent! Thank you so much.

[elliotsmelliot]

Great! Thank you. I've never texted, unless you count instant messenger. To me in seems like a recent phenomenon but I wanted to make sure since I knew I was out of the loop.

[bachlava]

Yep. I was in London that summer and I remember a news report about some major company that was going under and sent some of its employees layoff notifications by text message. The things that stick in one's mind...

[elliotsmelliot]

Firing via text? That's cold!

So would it have been done with cell phones or did people have black berries or something else? Thanks!

[bachlava]

Cell phones, I think, although the Brits call them "mobiles." I don't think BlackBerries were in full force on the market quite yet.

[elliotsmelliot]

The textaphobe thanks you heartily.

Texting

[anonymous]

I'm a bit of an old (British) dinosaur as far as technology is concerned, but I remember that even I was texting in 2003, so everyone else in the UK must have been doing it for ages! And I've always called it "texting", although "sending an SMS" is also used.

Texting

[anonymous]

Forgot to mention in my earlier post that text messages would generally be sent from a cellphone, but in Britain we would call it a mobile phone, or more usually, just a mobile. The term cellphone is really never heard in the UK, except in American films/TV series!

Re: Texting

[elliotsmelliot]

Thank you. That is very helpful. As far as terminology goes, it is confusing since the character observing this is Brit who has not lived there since she was a child, and her son is American. But it is just a mere reference, not a plot point. I appreciate your answers.