Why We Text: It All Started with the Telegraph

In 1844 the telegraph was invented by a man named Samuel Morse. The telegraph was the first machine that allowed people to communicate over long distances faster than a letter. The telegraph was the machine that revolutionized modern day communication. The telegraph was an invention that allowed people to communicate quickly where messages were sent over a long wire. By 1860, telegraph wires stretch from the east coast of the United States west of the Mississippi River. It wasn’t until 1866 that a telegraph line stretched across the Atlantic Ocean, allowing people to communicate outside of the U.S. To use the telgraph, you had to understand Morse Code because all you could type into the telegraph were dashes and dots. In Morse Code, each letter was assigned a specific sequence of dashes and dots.

In 1844, almost everyone who could afford the telegraph got one and used one. Why? Because the telegraph was the “next best thing” and it was what everyone else was speding their money on. Much like the telegraph, the smart phone is “the next best thing” for 2016 so, many people have one.

Morse code is somewhat similar to texting because you have to understand the different codes (abbreviations). For example, WTF doesn’t usually mean “why the face” and lol usually means “laugh out loud” not “lots of love”. If you were to use these in a wrong way, it could completely offend someone and make them mad at you. For example, if you were to hear that someone just lost their job and you said “I’m so sorry to hear about your job. lol” or if your friends grandma had recently become sick and you said “I’m so sorry to hear about your grandma. lol” I don’t think they would necessarily be to pleased with you.

What do you think would’ve happened if a texting device was invented before the telephone?

If Alexander Graham Bell had invented texting and Steve Jobs had invented the telephone, I think that the current generation would be talking instead texting. This also relates to my “next best thing” theory which is that society follows the current trends. Also, most teenagers and adults are using social media networks like Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, etc. more than talking on the phone. Lately, everyone is so wrapped up in their cyber life that they don’t spend the time to talk to people face to face anymore. Talking through the phone was invented before texting, so now when teenagers come from school and their parents ask “How was your day? or, “what did you learn?” or “what did you eat for lunch?” they usually get a one word answer like “good” or “nothing” or “food”. I feel that if texting was invented before talking on the phone, our generation would be much more talkative because our version of technology would involve way more conversation and social skills.

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