mobile phone
Please talk to me but not the mobile phone
“Hey! Are you listening to me?” my friend yelled at me during the meal. It is not the first time I was blamed by my friend because of using my mobile phone texting with others during the meal. I put aside my mobile and started to think. I used to hate others using mobile phone when they are having meal with me, why it becomes my habit nowadays? Nowadays, mobile instant messaging has become a very popular and common application in everyday life, most of the teenagers in Hong Kong are addicted to mobile instant messaging. After a detailed study on this phenomenon, the causes for the addiction are believed to be the attractive unlimited data and voice plan, the fear of face-to-face communication and the need of social networking.
Firstly, the telecommunication companies in Hong Kong have offered a range of tariff plans to meet the needs of the consumers. The unlimited data and voice plan used to be a selling point of those telecommunication companies to introduce their tariff plans. Some companies even offered a discount for student. In 2011, China Mobile has offered a $68 student plan, this plan included unlimited data usage and 1600 minutes local airtime. This kind of plan encourages teenagers to send more instant message. In the past, sending messages cost a dollar for each message. But for now, teenagers can send infinite messages by using the mobile instant messengers without paying any service fee for the telecommunication companies. Those unlimited data plan allows instant messengers’ users to pay less but use more.
Secondly, the fear of face-to-face communication drives people to use mobile instant messages to communicate. Nowadays, people have a frequent use of the electronic communication such as the mobile phones and the emails, it reduces the chance for them to have face-to-face communication. Research shows that more and more teenagers are addicted to the Internet. According to Leon Pyle (2008),
“Hey! Are you listening to me?” my friend yelled at me during the meal. It is not the first time I was blamed by my friend because of using my mobile phone texting with others during the meal. I put aside my mobile and started to think. I used to hate others using mobile phone when they are having meal with me, why it becomes my habit nowadays? Nowadays, mobile instant messaging has become a very popular and common application in everyday life, most of the teenagers in Hong Kong are addicted to mobile instant messaging. After a detailed study on this phenomenon, the causes for the addiction are believed to be the attractive unlimited data and voice plan, the fear of face-to-face communication and the need of social networking.
Firstly, the telecommunication companies in Hong Kong have offered a range of tariff plans to meet the needs of the consumers. The unlimited data and voice plan used to be a selling point of those telecommunication companies to introduce their tariff plans. Some companies even offered a discount for student. In 2011, China Mobile has offered a $68 student plan, this plan included unlimited data usage and 1600 minutes local airtime. This kind of plan encourages teenagers to send more instant message. In the past, sending messages cost a dollar for each message. But for now, teenagers can send infinite messages by using the mobile instant messengers without paying any service fee for the telecommunication companies. Those unlimited data plan allows instant messengers’ users to pay less but use more.
Secondly, the fear of face-to-face communication drives people to use mobile instant messages to communicate. Nowadays, people have a frequent use of the electronic communication such as the mobile phones and the emails, it reduces the chance for them to have face-to-face communication. Research shows that more and more teenagers are addicted to the Internet. According to Leon Pyle (2008),