SMS Texting and Viber Communication — Modern Written Conversation from the Social Anthropologist’s Perspective

DOI: 10.33876/2311-0546/2024-2/389-395

Abstract

Book review: Milina Ivanović Barišić. SMS and Viber Messages: Messages for Everyone and Every Occasion. Belgrade: The Institute of Ethnography SASA. 2023. 181 p.

 Texting, receiving and sending SMS messages via mobile phones and Internet messengers is a relatively new research field for social anthropologists and ethnologists. Meanwhile the mobile telephone, the Internet and other innovations of the late 20^th century are far more than just scientific breakthroughs in engineering and human thought — their introduction into today's life has given rise to many changes in cultural and domestic life. Modern information technology has led to an unprecedentedly rapid spread of news streams. The transcultural and transcontinental nature of this phenomenon from an anthropological point of view leads to incredible acculturation. Thus, it is particularly relevant to consider not only the general patterns of electronic communication in society, but also their local variants. SMS messages as a verbal form of communication are narratives that have specific and recognizable forms. The functions of short written texts are informative, entertaining and integrative. Obviously, they reflect the social, political, and cultural specificity of a particular society. The interest in this topic was provoked by the publication of a monograph by Serbian researcher Dr. Milina Ivanović-Barišić, scientific adviser at the Ethnographic Institute of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts. She analyzed Serbian SMS and Viber message content from an ethnological/anthropological perspective, studying their subject matter, dialogue etiquette, writing culture and other socially relevant parameters. The researcher concluded that messaging has not only become an essential part of our everyday life, but has also changed business communication in various professional spheres. At the same time, she saw in the short text messages a certain continuity of traditions and even a new folklore narrative that accumulated folklore genres created throughout human history.