SMS, So Long Gone?

We’ve changed with the coming in of smart-phones so much. A very regular incident is a result of this contemplating blog post.

I went to recharge my phone; there was a guy who had come to the shop. He waited until everyone was finished. There were 5 people at the shop simultaneously telling the shop keeper their service providers and amount to be refilled. A quick observation showed they all were for an Internet recharge. Just when I was about to ask, the guy said, "Bhai, 27 ka recharge do na Airtel ka". The shop keeper had an irritated look probably at the frenzy of people gathered outside his small shop. He said, "Ye kaunsa recharge hai, kya milega isme, 20 ka talktime ka hai chahiye toh."  He got back to refilling other’s phone balances.

The boy said he wanted a message scheme. At the utterance of ‘message scheme’, another guy next to me gave him a shocked look. The shopkeeper was curt in his reply as he said, “Ab kaun message karta hai, nahi hai. Talk-time hai leke jao.” The boy walked away.

The way the guy got a reply when he asked for a message scheme was as if made a sin. Are text messages so long gone and dusted? If we can convey so much in 140 characters on Twitter and flaunt about it, can’t we communicate over a text message? So much for the funny smileys and stickers? Did you forget how you downloaded certain small ringtones just to keep them as your SMS tones? 

Well, I have deleted Whatsapp from my phone and been asked how can you survive! It is not a herculean task. It is very calming and easy on the other hand. The maximum I’ve been missing out on is maybe how hot the neighbour’s daughter looks in mini with her arm tucked in a fair guy. My day still rises and sets down without having ‘Good Morning and Good Night people! *chand ka tukda smiley* in those groups.

I for one am very comfortable with texting. With internet so easily accessible and cheap we are measuring text messages as wasting a rupee on another person. On the other hand if the person has Whatsapp, it’s so much easier, isn’t it? But were we not the generation who expressed so much through text messages earlier? The last seen feature has been making lives miserable, and you can’t deny it. You’re being clearly ignored too. Text messages never give you that thought, at least not a few years back. A no reply would be understood as genuine unavailability for the time-being. Checking pictures and clicking pictures just for a dp (that can be called a new word again). What have we come to people?

It is conspicuously simple life without Whatsapp, our dependency on it is what makes it difficult. A text message without a smiley at the end is not a serious conversation; it is to the point and effective contact. Earlier without anyone asking ‘hey how are you?’ every single day, I was just fine. With these applications you just feel the need to converse even when you can perfectly do without them. Forget text messages, I’m even a bet for someone who is willing to write me a letter!

Write me a letter will ya?