A different drum | The 160s

To paraphrase Burt Reynolds in Boogie Nights, text messaging is the new boy on the street.

The “old boy” is e-mail, the first electronic messaging program. Developed in 1972, e-mail, along with news groups and chat, made the Internet the crucial communication network it is today. So why have texts—and their 140 character cousins, “tweets”—exploded in popularity, leaving e-mail in the digital dust? Maybe because e-mail is an old-fashioned letter by another name, a communication that requires consideration and craft to be effective. And who has time 2 write when u can b doing #funstuff ?

Got a message for us? Let us know in the comments.

Download Marvelous 3 “Write It On Your Hand”

A Different Drum is an ongoing series that is inspired by Tom’s playlist.