I was at a press meeting a few months ago - Danny Jordaan was giving a presentation about the 2010 football bid - and the crowd was thoroughly enjoying the event. Then, right on cue, a piercing phone call interrupted the proceedings.
Rather than hang up, the owner of this disruptive device proceeded to have a none-too-silent conversation to which all those around her were forced to be a part of. It`s a fairly common occurrence, and it is for this reason alone that I am a fan of SMSing.
It`s an unobtrusive way to send information, and a handy little invention - when not conducted at 120km/h on the highway, of course.
But the face of SMS is changing. It`s evolving from its simple roots into a pervasive money-spinning weapon that effectively bleeds money out of thousands of unsuspecting people - most of them children. More importantly, it`s becoming quite a bother when I`m watching telly.
I`m talking about the evolution of premium SMS, and its rapidly growing role on TV shows. What began as a novelty has become a lucrative income stream for broadcasters and business alike.
On the UK version of Pop Idols, more than 200 000 votes were cast via premium SMS in the space of one hour.
It`s not only overseas that these moneymaking ploys have people frantically SMSing away their money. One local reality TV show is reported to have received around a million SMSs in its run. Assuming each SMS was billed at around R3, a massive profit has been made, while consumers are happy that they have had their '168 characters of fame` and somehow participated in the show.
The scrolling bar, with its hundreds of inane SMSs at the bottom of the screen, is already showing massive frustration potential as it creeps onto more and more shows.
Damian Clarkson, Junior journalist, ITWeb
True, the relationship between premium SMS and TV seems like a great venture for both business and like-minded consumers. But when it starts interfering with those of us who want no part of it, it becomes nothing short of infuriating.
One TV channel is already interrupting its prime time shows with an annoying (and poorly animated) TV that swings aimlessly across the screen, reminding viewers to SMS away yet more of their disposable income. And it`s still early days for this trend.
The scrolling bar, with its hundreds of inane SMSs at the bottom of the screen, is already showing massive frustration potential as it creeps onto more and more shows. This leads to the question: who are these people that willingly send hoards of (often illegible) messages?
If the early trend is anything to go by, the scrolling bar is destined to become the domain of hormonal youngsters looking for romance. Personally, I shudder at the thought of watching, say, a hard news documentary on Crack addiction while below the words "Luv u 4eva Stevie-kins, tks 4 gr8 1st d8 - Stacy" roll by below.
With the huge profit potential of such a venture - SMSs can be charged up to R10 a go - it must raise the inevitable question of ethics. The thing to look at is the times that these interactive SMS offerings are broadcast. True, some are shown in the evenings, but the majority occur between 2pm and 5pm - when adults are at work, but children have finished school.
So it`s clear to see who these offerings are aimed at. Because there are no age limits for sending SMSs, even the youngest children can easily spend hundreds of their parents` rands, blissfully unaware of the fine print that hides the hefty price tag.
Perhaps what is needed is some sort of registration process for these shows, and maybe a limit to the amount of SMSs sent from one phone, which would surely save quite a few parents from serious end-of-month billing headaches.
But that aside, I want SMS to go back to where it belongs: on a cellphone, and not on my telly.
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