Sometimes I catch myself being a product of the modern times in which I live. On my way to work this morning, a song that I have started to like was playing on 5fm, and I delved into my handbag for my cellphone, and SMSed the word "beat" to MyBeat on 33345. In a few minutes the title of the song and the artist were SMSed back to me.
Some friends and I were once discussing that moment of sudden insight that people must sometimes have when they look at their lives or actions, and realise how they would be perceived by others.
For instance, does a burglar really see himself as a burglar, or does he see himself as a desperate man driven to desperate measures? Does the drug addict who steals money somehow justify it to herself in such a way that she can still condemn others who do so? And then, is there a moment where they look at themselves and realise they are in no way different from the other people performing the same criminal actions?
While being an SMS-savvy radio and cellphone user isn`t exactly in the same ballpark as housebreaking or drug abuse, I had such a moment of realisation this morning. I am not a laid-back hippie who has managed to avoid the trappings of the modern age. Sure, I don`t have a microwave or satellite TV, and my house was built early last century, but ultimately, I couldn`t live without my cellphone, e-mail or the Internet.
I guess the fact that I was one of the first in my circle to acquire for myself the three listed technologies speaks for itself. I still remember with fondness my first Nokia with its silver snap-on face, and cute little bulbous aerial. I can`t remember what my first Hotmail address was, but I do recall it took ages to load on the plodding modem at the first company at which I worked.
I can remember being astonished by the cleverness of SMS technology when it first emerged. Shortly thereafter, the emergence of newer cellphone models with predictive text blew my mind.
Today, I am still flabbergasted by people who choose not to use this nifty functionality. Of course, we still frequently end up with messages that replace "cool" with "book" or "me" with "of", but it cuts down the SMS typing time by at least half.
Although I have managed to avoid microwaves and carpeted floors, somehow, without my paying too much attention, I have been sucked in by this insidious technology.
Georgina Guedes, editor, Brainstorm
This morning`s realisation came with all that history. All of a sudden it became clear to me that I am an SMS junkie. People have said it before, but with classic junkie myopia, I refused to see it. I don`t use smiley faces, or ridiculous abbreviations. Surely I can`t be a junkie.
But the truth is out. Although I have managed to avoid microwaves and carpeted floors, somehow, without my paying too much attention, I have been sucked in by this insidious technology.
I should have realised sooner. That time my cellphone bill came, and the SMS costs were higher than actual call costs should have been my first clue. The friendships conducted entirely by text should have been another warning sign. But I deluded myself, and now I am paying the price in inflated phone bills (where the original idea was that SMS was supposed to help save money on call costs).
Oh well, I guess admitting to the problem is the first step. The second is going to have to be genuinely wanting to change. I`m not sure I`m ready.
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