Ill communication

Everyone has had a mobile phone embarrassment at one time or another. Like when you send a message to a mate along the lines of 'alright lame-o, are you up for a big one tonight?', only to discover that you've accidentally sent it to a potential employer, or your grandmother. It's happened to me on many occasions. I've even had to endure nights out with people that I've texted accidentally, because explaining the mistake was too awkward. The thing is, I'm no less embarrassed when someone does it to me, as you know that they didn't actually want to contact you in the first place, then you have to endure an awkward 'so, how are you anyway?' type conversation. It's a situation where both victim and perpertrator are equally humiliated.

These days 'the kids' have their own language for texting, which my mum has bizarrely adopted (being relatively new to the world of mobiles). There's something disturbing about getting a text message from your mum that reads: 'hi, hope u hd GR8 Wknd, spk sn mum x'

To its credit there are probably thousands of couples who would never have got together these days without the 'third way' of the text message. Not quite a phonecall, its the soft option for the phone-shy and chronically lazy.

E-mail is also risky. The dangerous proximity of the 'forward' and 'reply' buttons, when you pass on an e-mail with your own hilarious added comments, only to discover you've returned to sender. Friendships can be ruined.
Then there are those so-called friends that constantly bombard you with all manner of absolute bullshit, in the form of forwards, and chain letters ('Send this to ten people or your friends and family will all suffer a slow painful death'). And the awful 'reply all' option, which is like the electronic form of those christmas newletters that some people send out that none of us can wait to receive every year ('hey guys! I've just been promoted and tiddles the cat has just learnt to use his tray! )

I'm going back to using an old school finger dial phone, where to dial a number takes about 3 minutes, and then you can rest up while you have a proper conversation....