Thailand's Take on Mobile Phones

[Gaybutton]

If you have a Thai boyfriend, chances are that you are driven crazy by his mobile phone. If he's not losing it or selling it, then he's using it . . . constantly. Have you ever been jolted awake at 3:30 AM when your boyfriend receives a call? When you made it clear that you don't want calls coming in at hours like that, did he seem surprised that you would object to that? Have you ever been with a boy and at the height of, shall we say, the most intimate moments a call comes through and he actually stops to have a conversation? Does he place and accept calls right in the middle of dinner? Does he somehow 'forget' to turn off the phone in a movie theater? Have you ever seen him driving a motorcycle and using the mobile phone at the same time? Does he whine and pout if his prepaid phone card runs out or the battery runs out? Does he try to get you to buy him the latest model, with every bell and whistle imagineable?

 

Sometimes it seems like the world will end if the boyfriend doesn't have his mobile phone with him.

 

If his use of the mobile is driving you nuts, you're not alone. The following appears in THE NATION:

_____

 

Mobile Phones 'Warping Cultural Values'

 

Thai cultural values have been warped, with half the population "dependent" on cell phones, the National Culture Commission said yesterday.

 

Teenagers and others who have become addicted to instant tele-communications showed six symptoms, said Amornrat Thepgum-panat, NCC spokesman, who studied use of mobile phones - particularly by youngsters - for an article on the subject.

 

Firstly, people were victims to constantly changing mobile fads, she said. Mobile phones had become status symbols, with many users, especially youths, always seeking the latest models.

 

The second symptom was poverty, as users go into debt to buy new and expensive handsets.

 

The third "disease" was impatience and hot tempers caused by getting used to a instant connections and a response to orders. People become irritated over other things, even trivial events, in life.

 

Some callers ignore social etiquette and buzz others at any time, even during office meetings, late at night, meal times or vacations. In business, some call strangers to sell insurance or other products or invite them to apply for credit cards, which annoys many recipients.

 

Social contact is sacrificed as most people use cell-phones to call those close to them instead of engaging with others. Youngsters seclude themselves to call friends instead of talking to parents, and worsen family relations. They can leave youths feeling lonely and hooked to their phone.

 

The last "dysfunction" was insincerity resulting from the nature of phone conversations, which are not face-to-face dealings. Users are prone to use overly sweet words or lies to convince the other party that they care about something, when they do not.

 

Amornrat said overuse of cell phones was also causing other problems. Ear disease, severe headaches and nerve disorders have become more common due to long exposure to the cell-phone's electromagnetic field.

 

Also, more and more peeping toms or exhibitionists are using phone cameras to shoot nude pics to be published on the Internet.

 

Driving while on the phone caused many car accidents, while expensive cell phones attracted criminals and thieves, she added.

 

Ladda Tangsupachai, director of the Culture Watch Centre, said the use of mobile phones among youngsters was out of control with many operators launching promotions targeted at them.