When the modern cellphone was invented in 1973, little did anybody realise that nearly 40 years down the line one of its chief usage would not be to talk, but exchange SMSes, mostly by youngsters. Teens’ addiction to sending SMSes is growing as is affirmed by a study conducted by Pew Internet and American Life Project, which states that text messaging is by far the most common way that kids communicate with each other, more than chatting on the phone, e-mailing, using social-networking sites, or talking face-to-face.
We spoke to a few youngsters to find out if this holds true for them as well. A self-confessed SMS freak, Monica Nathani, 19, B.Com (Hons) student shares, “I just can’t talk on the phone for a long time. I somehow find it very irritating and prefer messaging instead. In fact, even if it’s something urgent, I prefer to quickly drop in a message rather than calling the person. Frankly, I’m addicted to text messages, they’re fun.”
Monica also adds that she loves sharing gossip over SMSes.
Many teens opine that exchanging SMSes helps break the ice between newly made friends and is even viable when you want to woo the opposite sex.
Agrees pharmacy student 18-year-old Akshay Arora, “SMSing is an addiction and I am in no way different from others. However, I feel it is much more with the opposite sex. I recently met a girl in my tuition class and we exchanged numbers. If I want to initiate a conversation with her, calling may make things awkward, but an SMS forward could help break the ice. It all starts with SMSing and today all mobile phone networks are offering plenty of free SMS schemes. For Rs 89, you can get upto 20,000 SMSes free in a month, with so much happening, who wants to waste money talking.”
However, 15-year-old Vasundhara Singh Bhati says she prefers calling rather than messaging. “I love talking on the phone, even though most of my friends prefer texting, I find it a waste of time. My father gives me Rs 200 a week as pocket money and I use it to recharge my phone.”