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| Picture Messaging | | By Gareth Branwyn for Screenager Central |
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By now you've no doubt seen the commercials for the latest camera phones, currently
available from the major wireless carriers. While the phones are unquestionably cool, the
phone companies seem to be having a hard time figuring out what we consumers want to
do with them. So far, the main selling features appear to be proving that you really did
see Siegfried and Roy at the corner 7-11 (as in last year's commercial, before Roy's run-
in with a tiger), and showing your good bud that her boyfriend eats like a pig (as in the
current Sprint spot). But people always seem to find unique ways of using personal
technology, and camera phones are no exception. Enter: creating your own visual
language with "picture messaging."
Picture messaging is simply the use of a camera-equipped cell phone to take and send
images (along with short text messages, if you like) to anyone else with an email-
equipped cell phone or regular Internet mail. But users of camera phones are taking it to
another level, creating their own picture languages to communicate moods, ideas, and
deep (or not so deep) thoughts. Think that guy who sits next to you in chemistry class
(let's call him Chip) is a drip? Then take a picture of a faucet and send it to a mutual
friend with the word "Chip" in the text window. They'll likely get the message. Feeling
blue? Send a picture of a cloudy sky. Need to respond to a message from a friend asking
if you can come over after school? Send a photo of your hand giving a thumbs up (or a
thumbs down if you can't make it).
The exciting thing about picture messaging is that it can be very creative and
personalized. You and your friends can come up with a visual language that only you
understand. Here are some tips to help get you started:
- Most of the private picture messaging languages start out organically. You don't
have a meeting with your friends and say: "What's the image we're going to use
for being depressed?" You obviously could do this, but part of the fun, especially
in the beginning, is trying to figure out what's being communicated. It's like
solving a puzzle. After awhile, your photographic shorthand will work itself out
and you and your message group will get in sync on what means what.
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To cut down on too much initial confusion, try to be at least somewhat consistent
with what images you use. You want your image language to always be growing,
but if everyone has to constantly text message and call each other to ask: "What
does a broken pencil mean?" it sort of defeats the purpose of communicating in
images.
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In the beginning you will likely rely more on accompanying text messages to
reinforce your idea and offer clues to its meaning, but once everybody knows
what an image stands for, you can eliminate the need for text.
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Choose simple, strong, iconographic images. If you want to say: "I'm happy,"
take a picture of your smiling mouth, not your entire face. The bolder, simpler and
more universally understood, the better. Want someone to quit bothering you?
Nothing says "stop" like a nice, clear close-up photo of a Stop sign.
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You can go with the same images (everyone always sends the same image of a
fork to mean "I'm hungry!") or you can just agree that any picture of any fork, or
other eating utensil, means: I'm hungry, let's eat, when's dinner?, etc.
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Many of the phone companies that sell picture messaging services have stock
images (photos, cartoons, animations) that you can download and use, and they
often provide photo album areas where you can store (and retrieve) your personal
phone camera images. If you want, you can use one of these albums between your
friends, so you are all pulling from the same image library. Check out the Web
site for your wireless phone provider to see if they offer such a service.
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There are other sites on the Web that offer picture messaging photo services. Just
do a Web search on "picture messaging" to see what's available.
Whether picture messaging and personal picture languages will become a significant
trend or not is unknown. Who cares? Right now, if you're lucky enough to have a camera
phone, it's a really fun and creative way of communicating with your friends. So grab
your phone, start snappin' some pics, and see if your buds have any idea what the heck
you're try to tell them.
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