Mobile social media usage 'could mean the end of SMS'

The rapid rise of social media use via mobile phones could mean text messaging becomes a thing of the past in the near future, it has been suggested.

In an article for the Daily Mail, Ryan Kisiel revealed teenagers are increasingly using the free instant messaging capabilities of sites such as Twitter and Facebook to talk to each other, making it possible the SMS could be extinct sooner rather than later.

Experts predict the volume of text messages sent via mobile devices in the next two years alone will drop by a fifth, Mr Kisiel stated, adding that many analysts see this as the beginning of the end.

Richard Windsor, a mobile analyst at Nomura, told him: "Once text messaging starts to decline, I think it could continue to decline until it hits zero."

Meanwhile, sales of Blackberries have rocketed thanks to the free BBM Messenger service it provides.

Graham Brown, managing director at communication consultants Mobile Youth, told Mr Kisiel: "We've seen SMS usage fall among young people and the main driver is BlackBerry.

"Teens and students were picking up BlackBerrys as hand-me-downs because parents were upgrading and started playing and exploring." 

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