Tuesday, November 07, 2006

MXit Schmixit

So what is all this fuss about Mxit? OK, I can buy the idea that it does provide a cheap alternative to SMS for bored teenagers with dextrous thumbs who want to talk to people they know and have set up as personal contacts. But the mainly bad press about it abounds.

When I was younger my parents and teachers all warned about not allowing oneself to be picked up by sweet talking strangers. Nothing has changed other than the vehicle that they are travelling in.

But the concept of trawling chatrooms at all hours of the day trying to find a like minded soul and finding such souls through brief abbreviated enquiries such as : asl pls? (translated as: Please would you be so kind as to let me know what your age, sex and language is?) is quite inane. I was curious about this and did try to see what all the fuss was about. But seriously it's too much effort. No one tried to pick up "80w" (get it atw ?) and it's just too much effort to try and engage in this. I'm not sure what I would have done had anyone decided that I was worth "going pvt" with anyway! There is simply no way of knowing if the counterparty is who they say they are.

No wonder parents are concerned, they should be. Not only because of the chance (small as it is) of their kids being picked up by a masquerading child pesterer but rather because the concept and discussion is so mindless and futile. If flirting and dating is being reduced to communicating in brief, thumb written monosyllabic abbreviations I pity the modern teen. Those any older, well they are just sad.

PS. for those who were wondering I am still alive.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Soon we'll be communicating with grunts and twitches and we can dispense with this whole stupid "language" thing altogether. I love progress.

ATW said...

They already do grunt & twitch thing in PE. It must be clear sign that the Eastern Cape has has progressed way ahead of the rest of the world..

mike said...

My brother had MXIT. Got addicted. Told him to kick the habit. He did, and he's thankful for it.

Really addicitve stuff.

ATW said...

I see that it could become a habit, but a pretty mindless one. But then most habits are that way. I'm impressed that you have a family member who actually listens to you!