My thought of the week: Unimportant & annoying SMS

Who doesn't know, or who doesn't use text-messaging (SMS in short) but have a mobile phone in their pocket? Not many, I'm sure.

It is indeed a very convenient technology made, but what will happen if instead of helping us to be happier; all it does make us hate the service and the mobile phone itself?

It all starts with some annoying SMS spam like offering of services along with free items, or a mistaken-hot connection like what Shira Barlow experienced. The student of UCLA received a gigantic proportion of SMS and email spam on her new mobile number from Cingular Wireless, not to include surprise calls from people she don't know. Such as hundreds of birthday congrats not on her real birthday, stories about those A-list parties held recently, to big fashion show invitations she never know of.

Later she found out that her new mobile number was previously own by Paris Hilton, so when the 'real' Paris was sitting pretty in her ‘prison’; Shira got another hundreds of inspiring and supporting SMS. Either this could be translated into a SMS spam or not depends on Shira herself, since she didn't shut down the ex-Paris number but keep on using it.

And then it would eventually get worse: SMS spam by people that are close to you. Now, this last one is harder to be ignored and even to be stopped even if you change phone numbers many times. Because they'll ask for your new number, and it would be very rude for you not to give it to them. Or you wouldn't say no, if your girl/boyfriend ask for it right?

Where at first it's all feel nice & cozy to receive those love SMS almost every minutes or hours, asking for every little details on what're you doing at the time. Beep... Beep... The first SMS came in saying "Have you reach your office yet honey? How's the traffic on the way there? Is it tiring you?", you reply in short to end it fast. Beep... Beep... The second SMS came in 30 minutes later bearing this message: "Have you make & drink coffee yet? How's the coffee today? Too sweet or too black?", you thought it was only a joke one so you don't reply.

Beep... Beep... The third one came faster around 12 minutes with some angry tones within it: "Honey, why didn't you answer my SMS? What's happening??", you felt compelled to reply immediately and only to get less than one minute of reply asking about another unimportant details. I think I can stop right there giving you pictures of what could be happening later, when this kinda activities going for a week. No, maybe only for a couple of days and someone might have lost his/her temper soon.

There’s already unwritten etiquette for writing SMS, such as using the right vocabulary or the appropriate words. But how about etiquette for sending it? Should we be restricted to certain rules for each person we wish to send it to, like when the proper time to contact the person is or how many SMS we’re allowed to send?

Ridiculously it may sounds, but it often happened and we’re being annoyed for several times too.

[blogged with my Treo 750v]