Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: cell phone, Japan, language, novel texting, novels, Rin, Tagalog, Tagalog text lingo, Tagalog texting, technology, text, texting, texts, textsfromlastnight.com, The New York Times, The Philippines
Texting has changed the way we communicate, the way we think, and even language and the way we spell it. I have to say, I actually hate texting lingo and spelling – or rather misspelling – overall. I am a horrible speller myself, but especially with the texting program that the iPhone has, I prefer to (at least try to) spell out my words and write out my sentences. Hell, maybe it’s the English major in me, but I always edit my texts before I send them out – and I do mean always. Yes folks, if one of my texts ends up on textsfromlastnight.com at least it will (for the most part) have (an attempt at) proper grammar.
One new phenomena that has come up via texting technology is the novel text. I realize that I’m late on this boat, Japan’s texting novelist Rin was the 5th best seller in 2007 (<a href=”http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/20/world/asia/20japan.html”>The New York Times</a>), but how fascinating! I mean, there is a thrill in watching sitcoms/drama TV shows that give you story lines in half to full hour doses only once a week, but to receive an entire novel via text message with only a few sentences leaving you waiting for more? I am intrigued.
A question I have, however, is if this has been going on in Japan since 2007, where is American in this? I know we as a country kind of suck on jumping on the latest and greatest technology bandwagon – in comparison to Japan – by why did it take two years for me to hear about it?
And then there’s the debate over whether or not texting is good for language or bad for it. It was really funny when a year or so ago my mom told me that sometimes she had a little bit of trouble figuring out what her family back home would text her – since they would text her in Tagalog. Since the family mostly spoke in Tagalog and lived in the Philippines where the new lingo is everywhere around them, it was weird for my mom to have to pick it up via broken words and phrases in text message lingo. She would have to figure out the abbreviations in Tagalog and differ them from the English ones she’s learned here in the US.
And even though they’re a third world country, I feel like I’ve seen that their proximity to high tech countries like Japan has given a PI a little bit of an edge. The last time I was in the PI was in 2003, yet every billboard – even in the poorer areas, my family isn’t from a big city or anything like that – always included a number which viewers could text. Either to get something, receive information on a product, and especially to enter contests. When I came back home from that trip, I realized that not everyone even had text messaging plans. 2003 and a third world country used texts more than we did.
I’ve even heard that with the rise in cell phones in Africa, there is a fear of HIV spreading even more so – because people can silently text their mistresses without their significant others’ knowing their plans. Seems a bit much, but for texting to even effect rumors to that extent…it’s definitely having an effect.
But now you do see it everywhere here. American Idol voting, jokes, sex chats – entire novels… What can’t you do via text messages?
What I’m waiting for is an emergency system for texting, something like 911 that you can text message. It would work like an instant messenger service on the dispatchers’ end. Then in those situations where there’s a kidnapping, hostage situation, robbery in progress, or whatever you can text the cops what’s happening as to stay silent and unknown. Granted, there would have to be a huge punishment for anyone who falsified information to this kind of line. It would be a waste of time and resources for authorities to go out on stupid kids texting fake emergencies. But in a real situation I think it could really help.
Like I said, what can’t texting do?
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