Thursday, October 9, 2008

I.M. as Pinoy as texting

It all started with the rising popularity of texting at the turn of the century. Shortly after, instant messaging gained ground in our fair island soil. In less than a generation, a whole new communication culture has totally changed from our parents' generation.

People have never been able to communicate as fast, as convenient, and as many ways as we are presented today. Back then, you only had a little more than 3 options. You had the telegram, the telephone, and what is today known as "snail mail".

Our parents generation had basically the same 3 basic means of communication as did our grandparents and our great grandparents have during their respective times. Of course, the telephone line reception must have surely improved. You'd no longer need to shout over the phone as much as you'd have to back in the late 1800's.

Getting in touch has never been easier. Today, we still have the basic 3. But in addition to that, we have so many other forms of communication. The internet in itself gives us many choices. One can email, use instant messaging, or simply by leaving posts in people's blogs or walls.

I'd like to believe that there's never been more freedom of expression than ever in mankind's history than there is today. Communications has revolutionized. Putting up blogspots such as this is just one way that we can use the many forms of communication to influence others.


Source:
Friday, September 26, 2008
http://www.philstar.com/index.php?Business&p=49&type=2&sec=27

15 comments:

street_rulez said...

Truly keeping in touch with friends or relatives in faraway places has not been this easy and convenient in the past. My mom used to tell me that before if friends goes abroad you'll have a hard time keeping in touch with them. Personally, I had experienced the hassle communication too. When I was in my preschool years going to elementary, my friend went abroad and we even need to write each other mails and wait for weeks for the reply. It is not only a waste of time waiting but the connection somehow stops while waiting; and you even need to go to post offices, buy stamp before it reaches to the other person. But now, things are just different. There's e-mail, YM, text and more. These all contribute to us now and these makes us keep in touch with our friends more and much much easier, without any of the hassle people before were experiencing.

blogbug said...

it is true that communication is much much easier these days, i mean around fifty years ago who would have thought that you could talk to a person half way arround the world as if that person was right beside you, the internet has surely opened many doors for comminication and has kept many friends and loved ones in touch almost anywhere. I could never imagine life with out the internet. Technology is truly amazing and who knows maybe 15-20 years after, or even earlier, we can actually send material objects through the internet, like teleportation, i know it's impossible, but that is hey 50 years ago they thought instant messaging was imposibble too. so who knows, lets just wait and see :p

karisse said...

I think the way people communicate nowadays is really advance. Not only do we have cellphones, we also have our internet. I think in the future, snail mails would be gone and our cellphones would be out of use for there will be newer technologies that are more efficient than texting and email-ing.

During our Introduction to broadcasting class, we have discussed the history of radio and tv. Surely, it was really very hard to communicate before since you have to use the morse codes in order to talk to others. Plus, one reason why Titanic sank was because of the slow communication that the people had before. Well, that was long ago, because right now, problems like that are not problems anymore. Technology surely helped us advance to the future.

takoyaki said...

It's also cheaper and easier to communicate. Like in email, you can send something abroad for free (well there's still the electric bill but it's practically free). But now, we rarely receive handwritten letters and messages. Sure it feels good to receive email, texts, etc in an instant but receiving handwritten letters is different since you can really feel that it is personalized and made from the heart. But technology is really amazing

monokuruboobooku said...

Communication is vital in our everyday lives. May it be in doing business, building relationships, keeping in touch with friends and love ones. It has a lot of use for communication. it makes our lives more convenient in terms of catching up with our immediate families. It also makes us earn money easier like for example, through multiply accounts, phone calls and the like, you could do something productive in a short span of time. Innovations of communication tools has been greatly appreciated and admired through time. and i can say that the continuing advancement of technology would lead us to better economic standing as a country.

ParadoxiC said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
ParadoxiC said...

It's true. Communication has never been as advanced as it is today, and it will continue to move forward as time passed itself off. No doubt that what once took forever was just a moment of bliss today.

I could still remember the dial-up era, when 4kbps/sec was the fastest internet connection that can exist in the country.

And I could still recall my dad, my uncle, my aunt, my mom - all of which were reluctant to buy a cellphone at first, saying they never will need it and would not want to own one, but look at them now. I mean, tell me, who could last a day in the corporate world without a cellphone?

arathilis said...

I agree it is easier speak up and tell what you feel in our time today but there will always be something better in the future. We tend to think that it is already the best thing but there are still many possibilities. This communication tools we use today are somehow considered impossible by people from thirty to fifty years and here it is today. What I want to say is that these tools should be used and maximized but we should be aware that this technology can be dangerous and it can invade privacy. People may give up too much information and stuffs. (sorry post-eagle eye drama)

littletwixstar said...

We should be able to see the advantage of faster dissemination of information.

It opened a lot of options for us.

Chat, TExt, BLogs, etc. had already redefined our culture.

We should be happy that we are more connected to our love ones now. But we should also remember that such inventions are far from the definition of 'making our lives easier'. technically it does, but once electricity is gone, imagine how it will be harder for us to live? we already have grown accustomed with such fast communication that if we weren't able to talk to someone far away from us, we would go crazy.

Mr.Wong said...

It's true that communication nowadays are very convenient and cheap, but have you ever thought that because of the new technology people's health becomes weaker and weaker and more kinds of disease are emerging cause by radiation. We can never feel the side effect of the new technology instantly, they are like poison that slowly kills us.

blogger said...

I agree to what you posted, and for me the ways that we can communicate each other is a very important thing to us in present period because I truly believed that it really help us in many ways. First, in education, we learn more as we communicate to the outside world. And another reason, we become more innovative in creating new ideas or formulating solutions to pas problems through the use of communication.

ilovemickey said...

Totoo, naging malaki ang naitulong ng teknolohiya sa mga tao. Simula nang lumawak at umunlad ang teknolohiya, naging madali ang lahat – lalo na para sa mga tao. Ilang halimbawa ang magpapatunay nito. Una, kapansin-pansin ang mahahalagang pag-uunlad pag dating sa larangan ng transportasyon. Kung noon ay halos lumawit ang dila ng mga tao kakalakad papunta lamang sa ika-limang palapag ng isang gusali, ngayon mayroon nang mga escalators at elevators. Maliban din sa mga makabagong sasakyang lumitaw sa panahon natin, nagkaroon na rin ng MRT at LRT para sa mga taong hindi kayang bumili ng kanilang sariling sasakyan. Pati rin ang mga makabagong kotse, tila mas advanced, ika nga. Kung noon ay kailangang gamitin ang mga side mirrors at rear view mirrors para masigurong hindi babangga ang sasakyan habang ipinaparada ito, nilagyan na ngayon ng sensors ang mga sasakyan na nagbibigay ng babala kung babangga na o hindi. Maliban dito, automated na rin ang mga pinto at mga bintana ng karamihan sa mga sasakyan para hindi na kailangang susian pa ang saradong sasakyan at hindi na kailangang ikutin pa ang handle para lang buksan ang bintana. Ngunit, mas malinaw ang epekto ng teknolohiya sa larangan ng komunikasyon. Tulad nga ng nabanggit ng mga sumulat na ng kanilang kumento, naging madali ang lahat lalo na sa larangan ng komunikasyon simula nang naimbernto ang mga cellular phones at ang internet. Hindi maipagkakailang simula nang dumating ang mga nasabing kagamitan ay naging madali na ang pakikipag-usap sa mga taong nasa malalayong lugar. Tila nabuwag na ng teknolohiya ang barriers of communication na idinudulot ng pagkakahiwalay geographically) ng mga tao. HIgit sa lahat, walang kaduda-dudang convenience ang pangunahing naidulot ng mga pagbabago sa teknolohiya. Fast and easy na ang lahat, kumbaga.

Subalit, kapansin-pansin ding kaakibat ng patuloy na pag-unlad ng teknolohiya ang lumalalang pagdepende ng tao rito. Sa kasalukuyan, tila labis na ang pagkadominante ng teknolohiya sa tao. Totoo, naging madali ang lahat sa larangan ng komunikasyon nang dahil sa teknolohiya. Ngunit, mapapansing sa ngayo’y tila naging exaggerated na ang lahat. Kaya naman parang nasisira na ang essence ng komunikasyon sa kasalukuyan. Isang halimbawa ang maaaring magpatunay nito. Sa pagdating ng texting, tila nawalan na ng saysay ang harapang pakikipag-usap at pagtawag gamit ang telepono. Mas tipid kasi at mas madali ang magtext kumpara sa mga nabanggit na paraan. Kaya naman sa halip na harapang makipag-usap sa isang tao, tinetext na lamang ang gustong sabihin. Kung noo’y kailangan harapang kausapin ang guro upang magtanong ukol sa isang bagay, ngayo’y maaari nang itext lamang ang guro at malalaman na ang sagot sa tanong ng isang estudyante. Maliban dito, mayroon ding mga taong kahit na nasa isang bahay na’y nagtetext pa sa isa’t isa upang masabi ang ipapakiusap o iuutos gawin. Mayroon akong kaibigan na, dahil malaki ang kanilang bahay, ay itinetext pa sila isa-isa upang tawagin para kumain. Nakakatawa, totoo, ngunit hindi maganda ang ipinapahiwatig nito.

Subalit, dalawa sa mga pinakahalatang naidulot ng texting ay ang pagkahumaling ng mga tao sa mga cellular phones at ang pagkalimot ng karamihan sa tamang pagbaybay sa mga salita. Una, kapansin-pansing halos lahat ng tao ay nakikita ang mga cellular phones bilang mahahalagang bagay. Kung magcoconduct ng isang survey ukol sa mga bagay na hindi mawawala sa bag ng isang tao, walang kaduda-dudang kasama ang cellular phones sa mga bagay na babanggitin. Ngayon nga kasi, mahalaga na ang mga nasabing bagay para sa malinaw na komukisayon sa pagitan ng mga tao. Maliban dito, mapapansin din ngayong karaniwan na sa mga Pilipino ang magkaroon ng dalawa (at pataas)na bilang ng mga cellular phones. Hindi ko ipagkakailang ako rin ay nagmamay-ari ng dalawang cellphones. Totoo, hindi masama ito. Kung kaya naman kasi ng isang taong mamaintain ang dalawa o higit pang cellular phones, sinong aangal, di ba? Ngunit, nakalulungkot lang isipin na dahil sa laganap na pagpapahalaga ng mga Pilipino sa texting at unlimited calls at texts na ipinapatupad ng mga telecommunication networks, tila nagiging need na ang magkaroon ng isa o dalawang cellphone; pati nga mga bata ngayon, mayroon nang mga cellular phones. Kumbaga, cellular phones na ang nagdudugtong-dugtong sa mga tao ngayon at hindi na ang harapang pakikipag-usap sa isa’t isa.

Isa pang malubhang naidudulot ng texting ay ang tila lumalalang pagkalimot ng mga tao sa tamang pagbaybay (o spelling) ng mga salita mapa-Ingles man o Filipino. Dahil sa layunin ng texting ang masabi ang gustong sabihin nang hindi tumatawag, napilitan ang mga taong paiklin ang mga salita upang masabi sa iisang link (noon, may bayad kasi pag sumobra sa isa) ang gusto nilang sabihin. ‘Yan tuloy, karaniwang tinatanggal na ang mga dobleng letra at ang mga patinig sa mga salita. Ang resulta? Hirap nang baybayin ng mga tao ang mga simpleng salitang tulad ng committee, commitment at committed. Pagdating tuloy sa pagsusulat sa mga papel na kailangan ipasa sa klase, nahihirapan ang mga estudyante lalo na kung hindi gagamit ng computer sa pagsulat ng mga nasabing papel.

Madaling tawanan ang mga sitwasyong nabanggit sa itaas. Ngunit, dapat isaisip na ang mga nabanggit ay nagpapahiwatig na nawawala na ang tunay na essence ng komunikasyon. Sa halip na maipakilala ang tunay na sarili sa pamamagitan ng pakikipag-usap (komunikasyon) sa ibang tao, hindi na naipapakita nang mabuti ang sarili dahil hindi na direktang nakikipag-ugnayan sa iba. Sa halip na paghirapan ng isang lalaki ang panliligaw sa isang babae, madali nang mapasagot ang ibang babae ngayon dahil madaling mambola sa text. Marami na rin ang nabiktima ng rape dahil maaaring itago ang totoong pagkatao kapag text lamang ang ginagamit sa pakikipag-usap. Marami rin ang hindi nagkakaintindihan at nag-aaway dahil sa text – ang hindi paglalagay ng smiley sa text at ang paggamit ng all caps sa pagtetext ay karaniwang nagpapahiwatag na galit o wala sa mood ang taong nagpadala ng nasabing mensahe. Sa halip tuloy na malinaw ang lahat, lalong nagiging magulo ang mundong ginagalawan ng mga tao lalo na sa bansang binagsagang Texting Capital of the World – ang Pilipinas.

mouse said...

Technology had changed rapidly compared to before. Now, it is very easy to communicate with other people. We can communicate through text,email,chat and cellphone.

It is so amazing that technology developed so fast. Maybe someday,it will be more convenient and wonderful.

Having these kinds of technologies provide us fast and cheap service but people use it for bad or other purposes.

trojan said...

It's really hard to keep in touch with relatives abroad without cellphones. With this technology, we can now communicate with our love ones easily. Unlike in the past, people use letters and it takes lots of time just to get to its destination. So it is really a good thing to have cellphones and personal computers(through email and chat).

trojan said...

Before the cellphones were invented, people were communicating through letters and it took time for those letters to get to its destination. This is a great way to communicate much easier and cheaper with your love ones far away from you.