Effects of Texting in Filipino Culture

“The Filipinos love to talk and to interact, thus the penchant for gossip, telebabad (the habit of engaging in long, often senseless conversations over the telephone) and, this time, text messaging. The Filipinos are heavy users, not due to big businesses, but because it is one form of entertainment. Filipinos love talking. Filipinos love interacting so much he is using text messaging as a medium" ( 2000). It would be an understatement to say that text messaging, or texting, has revolutionized communication in the Philippines. It has successfully entrenched itself into the unique Filipino lifestyle, becoming an indispensable part of every Filipino’s life. Arguably, the most stellar contribution the cellphone has had in contemporary Filipino life is when it played a crucial role in galvanizing support for the EDSA 2, heralding its importance in today’s Philippine society. ( 2001)
It used to be that the cellphone was a status symbol; however, the rapid advances in telecommunications technology has enabled virtually anyone access to this technology due to the affordable price of the phones as well as the services it offers. Interestingly, it is not the calls which are bringing in the sales, rather, it is the text messaging function which has been raking in all the income. And it sure does make economic sense. Figure this out, calls on landline phones cost about P5.00 for three minutes, while calls made to cell phones cost P9 per minute. However, text messages, about 160 characters long, cost only a peso per message (2001). To better appreciate its popularity, in 1998 alone, more than eighteen million text messages were transmitted in the country daily. ( 2001)
The youth have been quick to catch up with this technology. It has, unofficially, become the status symbol of Filipino youth, who are now far more knowledgeable about a cellphone’s latest features than their parents. Moreover, it has definitely created a unique venue among young Filipinos, where they could express themselves, starting out with the unique text lingo, and by the countless jokes, pieces of advice and graphics that could be sent through it. Young Filipinos have used this technology to look out for dates; get to know potential beaus; meet new people, outside their current circle of friends; and essentially, become the glue that has bonded the barkada (close friends) together during happy days like gimik (fun-filled night-time activities) as well as during those sad days (breaking-up with the boyfriend).
Although no statistics are available as to how many De La Salle University (DLSU) students have a cellphone, it would not surprise the researchers if the incidence of ownership is almost 100%. With a student population known for being in the forefront of whatever is hip or cool in today’s society, it would be interesting to know what the cellphone has done in changing, molding and improving the lifestyle of a typical La Salle student. Although, not quite the image of a typical young Filipino (due to the predominantly upper middle class population in the university), the researchers would like to paint an interesting, accurate, even, earnest picture of what this landmark technology has done in shaping today’s Filipino youth culture, using DLSU as a barometer.
In general, the study will point out the lifestyle changes brought about by cellphone usage, which have happened to DLSU students. This study will primarily focus on the advantages and disadvantages of cellular phone usage. The Filipino youth has adapted nicely to cellular phonetechnology. But are we really seeing the whole picture? With this study, the researchers hope to provide a more in-depth look.