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Rant: so many messaging platforms, so little time

Tiffany Ap

TIFFANY AP
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Lately, it has felt like the mere act of messaging someone has turned into a game of catch me if you can.

The scenario normally unfolds something like this: a friend pops up on Gchat asking if you saw her message. You haven't. But then she clarifies what she means on WhatsApp. You start replying there, but realise it's much faster to type out an email on the computer keyboard.

Illustration: Bay Leung
When the conversation moves onto plans for Saturday night, you suggest posting the event on Facebook and so your conversation migrates to that platform. And let's not forget either that everyone has at least one Luddite friend who refuses to bow to Mark Zuckerberg, or technology in general, so that'll mean an actual phone call.

Aside from Gchat, Skype and WhatsApp, you have to stay on WeChat for your Chinese friends, Line for your Japanese ones and KakaoTalk for your Korean crew.

Modern-day messaging has turned us into needy kids, jumping up and down, saying, "Hey, over here!", "No over here!"

In the end, you find yourself messaging about messaging.

I'm a caller and would rather spit out in 10 seconds whatever it is that I have to say than type it into an often uncooperative keyboard. Not that people pick up very often. Usually I dial and it goes to voicemail.

Like clockwork, I get a new notification. "Hey, what's up? Text me."

This article appeared in the South China Morning Post print edition as: Left waiting on the platform
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