wasn't it the computer era that brought shorthand out in public?

Question

i mean come on until computers came out the only time you heard of shorthand was in a court room, people even do it on their cell phones now dayswhen they text

Answer 1

Actually, no. "Shorthand" is very ancient but is probably less used today than in the past. My mother was a secretary for a bigwig at PanAm (remember the flying boats in Indy Jones?) before WWII, and it was an essential skill for anyone in her position. This may be a little long-winded, but I think it's really interesting:

"Shorthand was used more widely in the past, before the invention of recording and dictation machines. Until recently, shorthand was considered an essential part of secretarial training ... Shorthand notes are typically temporary, intended for later transcription to longhand."

"The earliest known indication of shorthand systems is from Ancient Greece in the mid-4th century BC.
In Ancient Rome, a slave of Cicero, developed ... notes so he could write down Cicero's speeches (100 BC).
An interest in shorthand or "short-writing" developed towards the end of the 16th century in England.
Modern-looking geometric shorthand was introduced by John Byrom's in 1720.
Pitman Shorthand was introduced in 1837 & was also used all over the English-speaking world. It is still in use, but ... has been superseded by the Gregg Shorthand, first published in 1888."

Answer 2

I think it was SMS that did it