Cell phones increasingly play an important role in social life

Technology turning against man is the stuff of science fiction. The everyday facts assert that technology has done nothing of that sort. Instead, being the tool that it is, technology has changed (is constantly changing, to be more precise) the way we interact with one another. Our love affair with technology hasn’t necessarily made us less human, a line of thinking that smacks of science fiction hogwash. Rather, it has modified our very existence as social animals, shoving us into bold, new and exciting directions. The telephone, the personal computer, etc. – we could cite some of the more recent inventions to drive home our point about technology changing the inter-personal landscape.

Now, our beef is with those omnipresent chips and circuits encased in motley-colored plastic we use for calls or for sending short text messages – the ones we ornament with acetate figures and Winnie the Pooh pins. There’s no question that the cell phone has become an indispensable part of everyday life; the query that should be raised is how far has it transformed our relationships and associations.

Siemens recently came up with a survey (its second, actually) to find out how cell phones influence the way people interact with one another, in both private and business circles. The Second Siemens Mobile Lifestyle Survey, which was conducted on the AsiaBUS, was spearheaded by an independent research house, Asia Market Intelligence.

The AsiaBUS survey took place last December, encompassing seven countries, namely, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, India, Vietnam and the Philippines. With over 3,000 interviews conducted, the survey focused on three groups of cell phone users: the youth (composed of males and females aged 16 to 24), couples (18-54) and office workers (18 to 54).

Vital facilitator

Lavenia Revilla, Siemens country manager for mobile phones, notes that the survey analyzes the impact of cell phones on people’s lives, providing invaluable insight in the process.

"Our findings prove that the mobile phone is, indeed, an important facilitator – its role as a tool to manage and foster relationships has definitely increased," she says.

One of the interesting facts dug up by the Siemens survey is that Filipinos prefer keeping in touch via mobile phones rather than through e-mail. Eighty percent of the respondents say they’d rather use SMS than log onto the Net and send electronic letters; probably because communication is faster, more convenient and relatively less expensive via the cell. You could be stuck in apocalyptic traffic at EDSA corner Ortigas during rush hour and still be able to communicate with loved ones, office mates or your machiavellian boss. And let us not go into details of how expensive desktops, laptops and ISP subscriptions are these days.

Another interesting discovery is that 14 percent of the Filipino respondents switch off their mobile phones during vacation or a holiday – a testament to the Pinoys’ ineffable amore for their cell phones. It was also found out that 89 percent of the Filipino youth surveyed use their cells not only to keep in touch but to exchange jokes as well. (Most likely the usual green, Jolina or cute-versus-pangit varieties).

The bright side is that only 17 percent use the cell phone to cheat during exams. Either the young respondents are all saintly and sagely students or simply lying through their teeth. Well, you make your own conclusions.

As for couples, while respondents in most of the surveyed countries say they rely on their mobile phones to move their relationship to the next level, a mere 40 percent of all Filipinos polled found them helpful. Nevertheless, about the same percentage of respondents send SMS during the day to show that they’re thinking of their respective partners. (A paragraph of sweet nothings punctuated by the ubiquitous smiley face or a "ü" should do the trick.)

Checking up on partners

Suspicious Filipino users see mobile phones as a useful tool to check up on their partner’s whereabouts – with more than half of the surveyed couples admitting to doing so. The nerve-wracking part is, 33 percent will check their partner’s mobile for calls and messages received. (Hmm... I’m pretty sure we all have our own horror stories of cell phones snitching on us, squealing about our forbidden flings and relationships-on-the-side.)

The survey of office workers yielded some eyebrow-raising data: 52 percent of men and 35 percent of women use mobile phones for business purposes only; one out of two say they use their cells to stay in touch with the office at all times; and SMS has become a popular tool for office-related matters with more than half of the office staff using it.

The Siemens survey also provides invaluable insight, as regards mobile phone usage across Southeast Asia. In Indonesia, India and the Philippines, the cell phone is used more for personal matters, in contrast to Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam which show the highest use of mobile phones for business or work. Indonesians are the least stressed out when their bosses call. The use of mobile phones in an office romance is popular, especially in Thailand and Vietnam. Malaysians are the most romantic in the region, with 57 percent admitting that they send SMS when they think of their partner. Only in India and Malaysia do some couples propose via SMS. And a piece of odd information: in Thailand, India and Vietnam, almost 50 percent believe that with SMS they have created a language of their own which nobody else understands. (We can’t help but recall George Orwell’s concept of Newspeak in 1984.)

We can only imagine what the future dialectics between man and technology will be. But trust a company such as Siemens to conduct surveys, present prevailing trends and map out the ever-metamorphosing relationship between people and their mobile phones.