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Life
with SMS The Short Message Service (SMS) is the ability to send and receive text, pictures plus sound messages to and from mobile telephones either from another mobile phone or from the comfort of your desktop computer. The first SMS is believed to have been sent in December 1992 from a PC to a mobile phone through a GSM Network in the UK. The message was in English. “In September 1998, SMS was introduced to Sri Lanka by us,” says Nushad Perera, Marketing Manager, Dialog GSM, adding, “At that time, we had to teach people the basics like how to type, and we had to promote the concept door to door and in shopping malls.” During this period, there was hardly any promotion for SMS until it caught up in 2000 in every nook and corner of the world. “The main reason for SMS to thrive is because when your mobile phone is switched off, the other party can still receive the message, when the phone is finally switched on. In addition to this there’s a greater level of privacy involved. No voice can be heard, so you can use it without the knowledge of a third party,” explains Mr. Perera. Vihanga (21) says, “SMS is cool and convenient and makes life easier. You can even send a message in a library, where the smallest of noises is frowned upon. Thanks to SMS, you can easily send a message without making a noise and without huge phone bills.” Today in the era of the constant rat race and competition, people have to spend time on meeting tough challenges, thus spending less time on ‘keeping in touch’. Says Rubina (22), “SMS is a good way of communicating with people in this day and age. It helps to find out how others feel, what they’re doing by using just a few words. It really keeps you ‘connected’ all the time and it’s cost effective.” Another positive factor for SMS, with regard to keeping in touch is the fact that snail mail takes a long time and sometimes when a letter reaches its destination, things could have been transformed. And very often misinterpretations occur. The next step is e-mail. It’s true that e-mail is cost effective and faster than snail mail, but it still takes time to reach the other side and not conducive for quick resolutions. But SMS tops the list. Maya (21) says her love blossomed through SMS. This two-year long relationship started off as SMS pals, developed to an SMS crush and then SMS love. Watch out though, for SMS is addictive. Psychologists say that any behaviour that has mood altering properties can become addictive. There are numerous neuro-chemical changes that occur during pleasurable behaviours. The pattern of addiction is caused by a complex interaction of the removal of discomfort, relief of stress, and the increase of pleasure. The pleasurable experiences are repeated despite the negative consequences. If you find that you are using SMS as a means to regularly alter your mood you may be developing a problem. But if SMS does not have a major impact on your daily work, school and other activities, you don’t have to worry. It is important to note that it is not the actual time spent on SMS that determines if you are an SMS addict, but rather how that time you spend impacts your life. As a result of this SMS technology, a brand new language is born – SMS language. The SMS philology comprises simple words, with no phonetic structure, no lexicon of words for both common and idiosyncratic entities, no word order or any grammatical restriction. It doesn’t have any history, but is believed to have evolved from slang. It’s designed utilising short words with symbols, as only 160 words per SMS can be used. However, the usage of SMS language has crept into many other instances, like writing letters, memos, and e-mails to friends. Jeevani (21), who started using SMS very recently says, “Before using SMS, I was very careful about the language I used. But after sending a few messages I have become lazy to complete words and ultimately in everything I do, SMS language seems to slip in without my even realising it.” It is evident that even the short notes in Jeevani’s tuition books are filled with SMS language. And this seems to be the case with all the young people around her. Unfortunately, this has led to the misinterpretation and breakdown of formal usage of English. Speaking about this new philological trend, Neluka Silva, Head, Department of English, University of Colombo says that SMS language has become widely popular and this short hand form of language is very useful. “Although this kind of language has gained currency, I feel that it should not replace formal language,” she said, adding, “there are some instances where formal writing has to be maintained because the kind of shorthand that is used in SMS can often lead to confusion and misinterpretation.” She adds that SMS has reduced interpersonal communication to a terse form, which completely lacks any sense of the personal. Language comes so naturally to us that we are apt to forget what an amazing gift it is. It is the barometer of communication and social development. Language guarantees a certain kinds of community. “SMS thrives in a community which knows how to use SMS,” says Merle Williams, coordinator of the Journalism and Communication Programme at the Sri Lanka Foundation Institute. She recommends that SMS language should be used only for the specific purpose of sending an informal message. She stresses that SMS language should not interfere with formal language and spelling. The SMS revolution, has secured its own following in society. ‘SMSisation’ is the latest face of globalisation. The future of SMS is predicted to be beyond SMS chat, moving on to SMS conferencing, SMS societies, SMS families and many more. It’s a brand new culture and who knows, you may be already well immersed in it. |
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