Technology has made it possible for people to cower behind a safe, cool screen when dealing with those unpleasant daily chores like firing staff or divorcing a spouse.
The media recently highlighted a case in which a Malaysian man divorced his wife by SMS. Global indignation followed: a wife divorced by SMS? Shocking! Cold! Barbaric!
It`s nice to know that in this world of relentless technology, the international public do perceive a line, and do revolt when it is crossed. Unfortunate, however, that the delineation "too far" is unanimously declared only in such an extreme case.
"Divorce by SMS" has a suitably ominous ring to it, conjuring up fears of a loss of self-determination. You`re walking through a shopping centre, you hear your phone`s SMS alert, you scrabble in your pocket or handbag, extract the phone, "one message received", read it, "you are divorced". It`s all over. Who gets the house? No wonder the world`s population of masters of their own destiny have cried out against such a cold dismissal.
It`s nice to know that in this world of relentless technology, the international public do perceive a line, and do revolt when it is crossed.
Georgina Guedes, journalist, ITWeb
What fails to incite me to the same levels of indignation, however, is that in this case, the recipient of the SMS was not some blushing newlywed in Johannesburg`s northern suburbs, having her nails done while pondering which Woolworths meal to microwave for dinner, but a Malaysian Muslim woman who lives in a culture where she can be divorced merely by her husband uttering the phrase "I dismiss thee" three times. She is not any less deserving of sympathy, but the ire should be directed at a system that offers such an easy out for an irked husband rather than the medium through which this was achieved.
Electronic dismissal
Another case earlier this year saw the employees of The Accident Group in the UK receiving an SMS stating: "All staff who are being retained will be contacted today. If you have not been spoken to you are therefore being made redundant with immediate effect."
Like the SMS divorce, this takes a difficult situation and trivialises the rights of the recipients, while freeing the originator from any commitment to their emotional well-being. It is also a sobering testimony to the trend of dealing with important interactions through a medium other than direct human contact.
Put it in writing
E-mail, touted as the killer app, has become ubiquitous as a management tool. It makes perfect sense. Managers can send instructions to subordinates, the command is confirmed in writing, it is received instantly and no time need be wasted on pleasantries or even walking down a passage. Official forms are put on company intranets, we can receive text notification of movement on our bank accounts and teenagers can circumvent the embarrassment of an outright snubbing by sending dating requests via SMS.
All these are worthy opportunities afforded to us by advances in technology, but there is still a need for human contact in many of our day-to-day interactions. In a study carried out by the Vault Group, 51% of respondents said the tone of their e-mails is sometimes mistaken. This does seem to suggest there is a need for a more human touch than peppering all correspondence with the occasional smiley face.
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