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Short Message Service or SMS is “A message service offered by the GSM digital cellular telephone system.
Using SMS, a short alphanumeric message (160 alphanumeric characters) can be sent to a mobile phone to be displayed there, much like in an alphanumeric pager system. The message is buffered by the GSM network until the phone becomes active�. SMS provides users of mobile phones with a succinct communication service which replaces vocal communication with text messages. This service has been found to be increasingly popular with teenaged mobile phone owners, and in many cases is a cheaper alternative to mobile call rates.
A range of media programs have taken up the SMS phenomenon and adapted it to enable users to communicate with them directly, most commonly in the cases of competitions or voting-based programs.
The most well recognised use of this system for this purpose is that of the Reality television shows such as Big Brother, and the Idol series. Such shows have an audience voting system in which viewers may express an opinion or favour for particular elements or characters of the show, and therefore are able to effect the shows outcome on a regular basis. Traditionally, this has been done via phone votes, where the viewer is provided with various phone numbers which correspond with different players, and by making a call to a particular number and getting through to a recorded message a vote is lodged.
While this phone service is still offered as many viewers still do not have access to mobile phones, the majority of this voting is now done via the SMS services. Instead of being given various phone numbers, the viewer is provided with one phone number, and in order to launch their individual vote they must ‘text’ a certain name or word which corresponds to their given choice.
“By giving them control over something meaningful, American Idol introduced millions of people to SMS texting. This simple, pervasive technology is fast becoming the "backchannel of choice" for interactive programming worldwide. Back in 2001, the popular British show Big Brother pioneered the SMS-enabled reality-show format by inviting 12 contestants to live together in a house and giving viewers the power to evict a contestant weekly via SMS. The following year, music impresario Simon Fuller created Pop Idol, a British talent show where viewers pick the best new young singer via SMS and telephone voting. This format spawned American Idol and dozens of other Idol spinoffs around the world in places like Australia, Croatia, Iceland, Poland and Singapore�.
As well as providing consumers with an opportunity to contribute and become apart of their favourite reality shows, SMS voting systems also create a large amount of revenue for show producers, broadcasters and telephone network providers.
References
Dictionary.com (2004) "Short message service", accessed 26 October 2004, from http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=short%20message%20service
Mobile Momentum (2004) "R U Ready to TXT?", accessed 26 October 2004, from http://mobilemomentum.msn.com/article.aspx?aid=18
Smith, G. (2002, April) "Euros 2B made? Voting by phone or SMS (short message service) has become one of several growing sources of ancillary income in reality TV, and beyond", Television Europe, accessed 26 October 2004, from http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_hb305/is_200204/ai_hibm1G186065595
Other Related Topics: Personal Video Recorders (PVR), TiVo, Big Brother, Idol, Reality TV and its use of the Internet, Foxtel Digital, Internet TV, Mobile Video Phones, Daily Broadcasting
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Kassie-Lee Goodman 00:11, 29 Oct 2004 (EST)
