|
SMS Lingo Most mobile phones only allow a maximum of 160-character limit in SMS text message. If a mobile user sends or receives a message length longer than what his/her handset can facilitate, the part of the message that exceeded the length will either be lost or split into several messages due to the length constraint of a text message. Thus, user invented their own communicating language, known as SMS lingo, to use among friends. It is a new language adopted and recognized by most users. This new language has greatly affected the proficiency level in |
 |
| language especially English. Schools have noticed that students overlook the basic rules of English and use SMS lingo in their assignments and even in examinations as they are too comfortable and familiar in writing SMS lingo. According to our survey, 21% of them strongly agree and 40% agree that SMS decreases the usage of quality English. As Singaporeans are not native English speakers, SMS lingo has greatly affected our English standard, especially on teenagers. |
Concentration in School
As the nature of SMS is to allow users to communicate quietly and quickly
without disturbing others, students are aware of this point and SMS have become
their primary communicating tool in class. Despite paying full attention in the
lesson, many students actually are distracted by incoming text messages and
lower their concentration in classes. Only 29% of our participants have claimed
that they will not be distracted by SMS during school or work.
Cheating
A typical student usually experiences tremendous stress during examination and test periods. The SMS technology has made it possible for some students to seek for the easy way out. As a small electronic gadget, a mobile phone can be easily hid in the pocket without being noticed. This has encouraged more students to cheat during examinations as answers can be easily keyed in a text message and sent to a friend via SMS [22].
Learning Aid
Although SMS has caused many negative implications in the education sector, it has also some benefits too. Physically disabled people who are mute or deaf can communicate using SMS, thus facilitating their learning process [23]. Many schools have also incorporated SMS to notify students of important announcements and examination results. Students can be reached easily via SMS.