Paper# 1 ENG 101-EF The term “pop culture” has different meanings depending on who is defining it and in what context. It can be defined as media images of contemporary life and culture that are embraced by the majority or the general public. There are several aspects that make a culture popular. Three most vital ones are: availability, cost and appeal. Texting, the rapidly rising and most widely spread popular culture, excels in all the three aspects. Its availability is increasing. With the advancement in technology, phones are reaching every hand. Cost is decreasing due to various factors one of which is competition between phone companies and the level of appeal could be seen around us everyday. Now the question arises, what make texting so popular? The answer to which according to me is its appeal and addictiveness. It has become a fashion or trend, or both and I am saying this with experience. I too am a victim of this addiction. It’s the appeal that attracts and gradually turns into an addiction. If we look at some figures we can clearly see how rapidly the texting virus is spreading. As reported by CTIA the number of text messages sent and received over major wireless networks in 2009 was 1.5 trillion which increased to 2.3 trillion in 2010, an approximate 53% increase. It’s the advancements in technology and the media that targets the increase of texting’s fame curves. Everything has some advantages as well as disadvantages and so does texting. Texting has a lot of advantages and it has facilitated a lot of things. Text messages are short and delivered faster than any other means of communication and more likely get faster response than letters and emails. It is cheaper than phone calls too. It helps people in emergency cases. In some countries, text messages can be used to contact emergency services. It is very helpful for people with disabilities who are not able to make a phone call. It is also helpful to get emergency helps in low signal areas. Text messages are used as reminders for