Companies like Cingular have been advertising by exploiting parents inability to understand the new language that seems to be emerging from texting messaging. This is most likely one of the most clever forms of advertising from a cell phone company, specifically because it hones in on the frustration from both the parents and the children. Children are tired of their parents not understanding their high-tech version of a note, and parents are frustrated of feeling alienated from their children.
New York times recently ran an article about this gap. Of course there is always a generation gap between parents and their children, however this gap seems to be an abyss that is nigh impassable. Some parents have been trying to reach their children in their children's own terms. Recently I have been teaching my own mother to text. Although I have a very open relationship with my Mother, seeing as I have left the teenage years quite some time ago, it is still easier for us to communicate through text on occasion. If she wants to know if I plan on joining the family for dinner, and I am still at work, she can shoot me a text, especially since we're not supposed to talk on cell phones at work. Even though it seems that she takes an eternity to tap out a word, her new found skill has made her quite popular among her own co-workers. They in turn want her to teach them how to text. I'm thinking about setting up a cellphone class. Hmmm new career direction?
No comments:
Post a Comment