Text Messaging

After reading “Smart Mob: The power of The Mobile Many”, written by Howard Rheingold, I was not surprised about what text messaging does and has done to our society. Bringing down the Philippines’ government or simply flirting with your “someone,” texting has become a powerful tool. It has become tough to imagine life without it.

It was interesting how “Smart Mob” gave a perfect example of how addicted and dependent we have become on cellular phones. When Faye Stylatgco saw most of the people playing with their phones during her friend’s father’s wake, I could not stop bringing back similar memories from my past. “If you do not have a phone, it is hard to consider you a complete citizen”- these words were usually addressed to the people that did not own a cell phone yet. Almost every person in Lithuania owns a phone, starting at the age of fourteen. During our friends’ gatherings it is not uncommon to see someone completely isolated and just typing on their number pad on their phone. It was not uncommon to become invisible if you did not own a cell phone.

What I am trying to say is that in the today’s society anyone could be connected to anyone they wish, but someone that does not keep up with the innovation could also be extremely left out. While text messaging brings 1 million Manila residents together, others are still left out because of their lack of a cell phone, for them it’s just another typical day.