Cellphone night packages: adverse effects
THERE are innumerable advertisements of mobile service providers which give one options to sign up for one package or the other. The theme behind them is to convert public into chatterboxes.
It is extremely disheartening to note that mobile service providers are bent on increasing their revenues by luring our youth into such frivolous pastimes such as talking the night away with friends and family.
Whatever happened to the idiom ‘early to bed and early to rise.’ It is no wonder that today in Pakistan, everyone, from a multi-millionaire to an ordinary person, is hooked on to cellphones as if it is their ticket to salvation.
I am not adverse to the idea of embracing technological advances to enrich our lives, but am rather irritated on the course taken by some to increase their profits.
By all means, do come up with packages and entice the public to be your customers for life but not at the expense of playing with their futures, making them so absorbed in such a mundane task as chatting with friends all night that they lose out perspective on what they want to achieve in life.
The question is why no one has ever offered a package on subsidised rates to all those meritorious students who have earned distinction in the field of education. I feel it will give our youth some incentive to work harder in their studies, while it will also increase customers and revenue of service providers. I am not a marketing guru but am convinced of the feasibility of my suggestion.
I do strongly believe that corporate social responsibility (CSR) tells the organisation what it is giving back to its consumers and society.
If hours spent on using ‘night packages’ are utilised for achieving and promoting higher education, we will be living in a stronger, better, enlightened, educated and progressive Pakistan. The question that comes to my mind is, are there any such organisations which are willing to take such bold steps?
In the meantime, I will be talking to my friends and family members who will continue to call me in the middle of the night to talk about some irrelevant stuff just because their mobile service provider has offered them this ‘amazing’ package.
AAMIR VASI
Karachi
Source of nuisance
Cellular service providers are offering ‘night packages’ at very cheap rates to their customers, especially young people, which are being misused.
It is obvious that such packages cannot be used for some constructive activity. My suggestion is that mobile service providers should earn money but issue connections only to customers after proper documentation.
Lower cadre employees should be issued connection through their respective organisations. The rates for SMS and calls should be high. This measure will prevent misuse of cellphones by criminals and mischievous elements.
MADIHA FATIMA
University of Karachi
Source: Dawn
Date:4/23/2011
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