Pinoys don’t feel incomplete without their mobile phones

After being touted as the world’s most avid texters, Filipinos after all don’t feel incomplete without their cellphones, or at least not as incomplete as their Southeast Asian counterparts feel when their gadgets are not by their side.

The Philippines’ more than 12 million cellphone users send an average of 100 million text messages a day but surprisingly, it seems it’s no big deal if they suddenly find themselves without their mobile phones.

In the latest Siemens Mobile Lifestyle Survey completed in December 2002 among males and females aged 15-29 in six countries (Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and India), only 36 percent of Filipino cellphone owners said they feel incomplete without their phones, compared to 80 percent of Thais, 79 percent of Indonesians, 76 percent of Malaysians, 67 percent of Singaporeans, and 55 percent of Indians.

The Philippines’ rating in this category also ranked lower than the 64 percent average for the whole of Southeast Asia.

Texting than reading

Filipino youths, who comprise the bulk of the local mobile market, seem not as hooked to the cellphone, although like the rest of young Asians, mobile phone use is one of their most preferred activities. They prefer sending text messages than reading books and tend to flirt with people they hardly know via the SMS (Short Messaging Service), which could be alarming or could potentially lead to negative consequences, if unchecked.

So what else is new in the mobile lifestyle?

In 2002, one of the biggest things to hit the local cellphone industry was the introduction of the Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS). While the use of MMS-capable phones has yet to reach a critical mass for the service to gain widespread use, teens are more likely to be its most avid adapters. And where else would they find good use for it than in the area of love and romance.

The survey found out that Filipino teens are more likely than young adults in their twenties to send proof of cheating by a friend’s partner via MMS.

MMS vs cheaters

To the hypothetical question "If I see my friend’s partner dating somebody else, I’d record it and send the proof via MMS to my friend," 24 percent in the 15-19 age bracket said yes they will send the proof if they have it, compared with only 15 percent among the 20- to 29-year-olds.

Cheaters, beware! In an era where cellphones double as digital cameras on top of being communication gadgets, it could be more damaging as the rumor mill or the detective agencies.

Among Indian cellphone owners, 40 percent said, they’d send a picture of their new date to their best friend to solicit his/her view. In the Philippines, only 18 percent of the survey respondents said they would do that if they have the MMS feature on their cellphones.

Meanwhile, 45 percent of Thai respondents said they would likely send photos to their friends when they go on a holiday. In contrast, only 11 percent of Filipinos would do this.

Pinoys as romantics

For the third straight year though, Filipinos were ranked as the most expressive in love and this is not surprising considering our penchant for love and romance.

In the first Siemens Mobile Lifestyle Survey concluded in January 2001, this was already the finding.

In the 2001 survey, 51 percent of Filipino females surveyed and 61 percent of males said they used SMS to send love messages to their partners or spouses. In the December 2002 survey, these figures hardly changed as 58 percent of Filipino respondents, both males and females, said they were more expressive in love via SMS.

Interestingly, one in three Filipinos admitted having sent an intimate text message to the wrong number.

What changed though is the fact that Filipino mobile phone owners are now more likely not to switch off their phone during an important date.

Only 11 percent of males and six percent of females said they would turn off their phones when spending time with their partners. As such, 57 percent reported that they had been disturbed by the ringing of their mobile phones during intimate moments.

In the 2001 survey, Malaysians ranked first in dating etiquette as 50 percent of Malaysian cellphone owners said they would not take any calls when on a date. In the most recent survey, the Indonesians turned out to be Southeast Asia’s most considerate lovers.

In the Philippines, forget it, we ranked lowest in this category. Even with Valentine’s Day in the air, that cellphone would most likely ring all throughout Love Day.

Now, be inspired; it’s part of the mobile lifestyle – Pinoy style.