Years ago, when people used computers to surf the Web and send e-mail and then used mobile phones to talk to friends or send them SMS messages, e-mail and SMS co-existed peacefully and even complemented each other. When one is stuck in traffic, or in an elevator somewhere, and does not have access to a computer, he or she can SMS a very important message to a colleague. On the other hand, e-mailing someone that very important document or anything that cannot be said in 160 characters seems only logical.
But times have changed and rapidly advancing technology has blurred the lines of distinction between the computer and the mobile phone. Now, it is possible to call anyone even send short messages to somebody’s mobile phone via a computer. With the advent of the Blackberry, mobile phones now have computing capabilities and allows one to receive and send e-mails even while on the go.
SMS, or more commonly known as text messaging, is by far more popular and more mobile, especially for the lower income classes like students, pre-teens, and blue collar workers. It is a fast and convenient way of communicating and is available on virtually all mobile phones, high-end or low-end.
But, as pointed out earlier, it is very limited. It is also very costly, as it costs 10 cents to zap one out.
E-mail, on the other hand, does not have character limitations. One can even attach documents, videos, pictures, images, and whatever files one might want to send out. Access and mobility, however, are issues that e-mail would have to resolve. On top of that, e-mails have become less and less personal over the years. People get spam mails in their inboxes, precisely because it is free to send one. Friends send forwarded e-mails to other friends. The communication and being in touch is there, but not necessarily the personalized touch.
E-mail and SMS maybe very similar in a lot of respects: both makes contact easier and faster, both are the frontliners of their own respective technologies, and it gets the message through. But for some, it’s like comparing apples to oranges. Both are fruits, but one can’t say that apples are better than oranges. E-mail and SMS have their own respective niches to serve, and they are independent: one simply cannot really replace the other.
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