|
|
Text messages shape politics in Philippines
A wonderful article by Richard Baum and Dolly Aglay for Reuters on how text messaging has shaped politics in the Philippines. Here are a few excerpts relating to this year's elections and some facts I have not come across before. "By the time Filipinos go to the polls on May 10 to elect a president and 17,000 other officials across the archipelago, many mobile phone owners will have received hundreds of messages aimed at influencing their decisions at the polling booth. Most will be harmless jokes knocking down a candidate, but others will be potentially damaging rumours that could swing the vote in a close race. "It's now an effective conveyor of black propaganda." Along with the jokes, mostly impenetrable to anyone without a deep knowledge of the country's politics and culture, is the occasional potential bombshell. Senator Edgardo Angara, president of Poe's LDP party, says the LDP's vice presidential candidate, Senator Loren Legarda, was the victim of false messages saying she submitted bills to cut pay for teachers, soldiers and firefighters. Other messages have proven stunningly accurate, such as those saying Poe had fathered a child during an affair with an actress. Confronted with the allegation, potentially damaging in this Roman Catholic country, Poe confirmed it was true. The country's 22 million mobile users, more than a quarter of the population, send an average of seven messages each every day. Text messaging is such an accepted form of communication that central bank Governor Rafael Buenaventura sends comments on interest rates or the level of the peso to reporters via SMS. It is unlikely U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan has ever tapped "irrational exuberance" into his cellphone. |
|
BULK SMS GATEWAY