July 29, 2005
Phones Make Korea a Silent Society
As America is grappling with loud cell phone behaviour and rudeness, in South Korea, people have become paradoxically quiet, as new means of communication are replacing the spoken word; Chat programs and text messengers are cheap, convenient to use and accessible everywhere, according to Digital Chosunilbo.
... "There are people who say they could live comfortably without saying a word all day, and who send so many SMS and chat online so much that sometimes they find it awkward to talk.
Yet it is the telephone that is at the heart of these changes, a device that is rooted more than anything else in the attempt to allow people to talk. As mobile phones grow more sophisticated, they are eradicating the very purpose they were designed for.
In the case of telecom provider KTF, the SMS sent in June (2,000,008,616) for the first time outnumbered mobile phone calls (2,000,004,669).
... There are concerns that the silent society could aggravate alienation and isolation. But experts say there is no need to expect the worst: it is merely that communication is changing, from face-to-face to other forms, yet the flood of communication itself has not stopped.
Yonsei University sociologist Kim Ho-gi says young-generation “cool” means a preference for writing over speech. "Speech is loaded with feeling, and because young people prefer communication styles that convey meaning simply and clearly while keeping their own emotions in check, they like communicating through text messages."
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