Dis-card-ed

2009/09/19

SUZIEANA UDA NAGU

Text or multimedia messages and electronic cards are favoured by the frugal, the tech savvy and the environmentally-conscious this Aidil Fitri, writes SUZIEANA UDA NAGU

TONIGHT, Murni Lamamma will be among thousands of young Malaysians with mobile phones in their palms, thumbs deftly typing text or multimedia messages wishing “Selamat Hari Raya Aidil Fitri” and “Maaf Zahir Batin” to their loved ones.

“I’ll be sending text messages to my relatives and friends. Texting Raya wishes is cheaper, and takes half the time and effort. Best of all, I know that it will reach them within seconds,” says the 22-year-old clerk, who is celebrating the occasion with her family in Temerloh, Pahang.

Indeed, the practice of sending greetings cards has become less popular among the younger generation, who value speed and convenience.

Generation Y (referring to those born between 1978 and 2000) grew up in the 1980s with technology — from colour television, analogue telephones and computers to the Internet — and this, experts say, has led to their hunger for receiving and sending information at rapid speed.

As they rely greatly on mobile phones, emails, instant messaging tools and social networking sites to stay connected with their loved ones, they would naturally opt to send festive greetings electronically.

A random survey among young Malaysians reveals that most have scaled down the number of conventional greetings cards in the last few years.

Nur Adilin Mohamad Kamal, 23, from Shah Alam is not getting as many cards as she used to.

The Bachelor of Applied Finance student at Taylor’s University College Business School sent 15 cards this year and received 10 — a small number compared to the 289 friends she has on Facebook.

On the other hand, Murni sent six cards to her younger siblings and received none in return.

Both of them recall exchanging cards when they were in school.

It’s the thought that counts, says Nur Adilin Mohamad Kamal

“Back then, everyone did it because we were so excited about celebrating Hari Raya,” says Nur Adilin.

While Murni and Nur Adilin had carried on the tradition of exchanging printed cards, 27-year-old Mohamad Khamsany Mohamad Misran had stopped doing so after he left primary school.

The economic downturn and hectic study/work and social lives have made sending Raya text messages or electronic cards more appealing to youngsters.

“It’s a hassle to go to the post office; we don’t have the time to queue up just to get stamps. Besides, greetings cards are getting expensive,” says Nur Adilin.

That youth prefer to text their Raya wishes does not mean that the art of sending handwritten cards is dying. “For one thing, the tradition is alive and well in schools, particularly among primary schoolchildren,” says Murni.

“Secondly, not everyone in Malaysia has access to personal computers, laptops, handphones or is tech savvy. So there will still be those who prefer to send traditional cards,” she adds.

While many young people choose e-cards and SMS, these electronic tools are not hurting the sales of conventional cards. It is not immediately known how many Raya cards Pos Malaysia has processed this year, but last year 8.27 million Raya cards were distributed suggesting that a large population of Malaysians may have sent their Raya cards via snail mail.

“There are many businesses that make a point of mailing conventional greeting cards to their clients as a sign of appreciation,” says Mohamad Khamsany, a web developer with JobStreet.com Having said that, organisations are increasingly moving towards e-cards and SMS services “as they are cheaper, greener and, with Flash and video capabilities, look more impressive than the plain card variety”.

Business etiquette gurus caution against going overboard on fancy e-cards and advise young executives to use their discretion. The rule is: e-cards are all right for colleagues but a no-no for clients or investors.

Nur Adilin has a rule of her own — family members and close friends get greeting cards; the rest get text messages.

“Those who live abroad get an e-card from me,” she says.

Although many young people like the convenience of electronic Raya greeting media, they agree that text messages or e-cards may never completely replace conventional greeting cards and the excitement felt when receiving one in the mail. To Nur Adilin, whether young people prefer text messages or greeting cards is irrelevant.

“It’s only common courtesy to send a greeting to friends and families. At the end of the day, it’s the thought that counts,” says Nur Adilin.

Text messages are cheaper and faster, says Murni Lamamma