As an avid texter, I have always wondered why on Earth I was limited to only 160 characters before I had to hit send. I can be a rambler when I want to be. I want to say what I need to say, and I don't want to be limited by some random number. Well, this article explains that indeed the number 160 is not random. Well, if you count sitting at a typewriter and pounding out random sentences "not random."
It's an interesting article if ever you are curious; otherwise, don't bother. Just accept the fact that the number came about based on the number of characters that exist within a typed line or two. And when the number was created, no one anticipated how the phenomenon of texting would explode, especially amongst teens. Truly, I fall into the category of someone who would rather text than talk, but then, I also have massive conversations texting. It's a warped irony, I know, but I honestly think my conversations are more succinct because I am limited by that character number. Now, as educators? If we could transfer the succinct conversations that happen in texting to the papers our students write....
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