By Will Sturgeon, 21 January 2004 17:25
NEWS The British, who once put great stock in being guardians of manners and good etiquette, have been undone by the advances of technology. More than 50 per cent of us would now rather apologise by text message than do it face-to-face or even over the phone.
Furthermore, 38 per cent of us would even turn down a personal invitation such as a wedding invite by text, rather go to any more effort to politely decline in person.
The mind boggles as to just how far this trend may develop. Perhaps it won't be long before somebody sends a text message along the lines of: "Can't do 2morro after all... black suit is @ the cleaners. will send sum flowers. Hope u find another pall bearer!"
Or maybe they already have.
However, worst of all is the 13 per cent of respondents who admitted to texting while driving.
The survey, conducted by mobile messaging company Freever, also goes on to paint an interesting picture of cowardly Brits deceiving, lying and generally cheating all and sundry with text messages.
Not exactly a case of 'no text please we're British' - apparently we can't get enough of it.
For example, 45 per cent of respondents have lied about their whereabouts by text message - such as sending a text that reads 'am at office late tonite. won't be home until 10-ish', before getting another round of beers in down the pub.
Mike Grenville, CEO of mobile messaging association 160 Characters, said: "Does technology mean we lie more? Maybe. Maybe this is also a reason why 3G video conferencing won't catch on. After all, maybe there are some benefits to the other half not being able to see where you are."
The survey also found that 40 per cent would rather use text to let someone know what they really think of them.
And recent developments have seen the text message becoming the tool of choice for those throwing 'a sickie'.
No more phoning up and saying in a croaky, wheezy voice: "I won't be coming in today I'm afraid. I'm in bed and feeling really sick. Think I might be coming down with that flu that's going around." Nowadays 22 per cent of us would send a text message saying the same, and give our acting skills a rest.
But Grenville was quick to point out that these findings may not be as negative as they first seem. Rather than people becoming ruder, perhaps we are just becoming more comfortable with technology as a part of our lives.
"You can look at these findings negatively or you could say this is evidence that texting is now considered to be an intimate and familiar way of contacting people," he said.
According to the findings, a stunning 56 per cent of respondents think it is acceptable to send a text message while dining in a restaurant, while 54 per cent think it is acceptable in a cinema.
Comments
There are 9 comments. Join the discussion
1. anonymous
'... you could say this is evidence that texting is now considered to be an intimate and familiar way of contacting people.'
Intimate my arse. It's a cop out. If someone needs to wiggle out of an engagement they do it via text purely on the grounds that it is a cold and impersonal form of communication, which conveniently lacks the requisite number of characters to allow much politeness, apology or guilt in the message.
I've nothing against texts (spend a fortune on them) but, if I'm going to be lame and break a commitment or go against what is expected of me, I will make the effort to speak to the person, despite of any feelings of guilt. It's courtesy.
2. Mike Parker
What a horrid state of affairs. I see people walking around spending time composing their texts to fit snugly into 160 characters so they do not have to face the person or make a phone call.
I have voiced my opinion to a few "texters" and they are really defensive about the way they communicate, I think people are slipping away from civilisation and into a technological void. How Sad.
3. Will Eastbury
Correct, it IS a cop out - and so is doing the same thing via email.
If you have a phone in your hand, why not use phone to call the person concerned. It is actually quicker, easier, and usually cheaper.
4. Chris Wright
I got married in August last year, and the majority of those who couldn't make it apologised by text, and in some cases e-mail.
Having said that, I can see why it's much easier to say something difficult with no chance of seeing the reaction of the recipient of the news.
5. anonymous
Text in the Cinema? Ok, here are the rules for those who've forgotten them:
It is not rude to be texting when...
you are alone.
If you are with anyone at all, it is rude (& some might say ignorant) to be texting.
That's all there is.
6. Geoff Jones
For the record I don't like texting or the mobile when I retire in 6 years the phone retires as well.
I think manners and politeness have gone down hill over the years but so has general behaviour. There doesn’t appear to be any patience left, look at road rage and child behaviour especially the language used these days. It seems to be that we moving to a rougher and greedier way of life in general.
7. anonymous
I am in a relationship where most of the communication is by SMS (distance is the obstacle) I actually want out...
I consider myself to be a coward in these situations but not even I could stoop as low as using an SMS. Remember the celebrity who terminated a relationship by fax?
8. anonymous
My wife had a miscarrige over christmas and letting our friends know by text was the easiest way for us.
As you can imagine we were both very upset and we couldn't tell anyone without crying so it was the best option for us.
Also when the replies came back it was easier to deal with so soon after the event.
9. Ray Goodall
I am British and proud of it,I personally would never send in text anything that I could not say to someones face,I was once however made redundant by taxi cab would you believe,my employer of the time actually sent a cab driver round to us all to deliver redundancy letters,he was to bloody scared to tell us face to face