Do Mobile Phones Define Your Social Status?

The topic may sound strange but it is something that I have experienced first hand while in the Philippines.

A large number of Filipinos in the Philippines live in poverty due to many socio-economic reasons. It is not easy to earn and make money with the limited job opportunities available locally.

While staying in the Philippines for business purposes, I noticed how popular mobile phones were. Many people, whether business people or just your average Joe, owns one and they have the tendency to fuss about the model of your phone.

On many occasions, I've been asked what type of cellular phone I carry. At the time I said: "I have a Nokia N95" which was Nokia's latest phone at the time. The response I got? Wow. That's an expensive phone. You must have a lot of money. You must be rich.

I was dumbfounded by the response, to say the least. Coming from Hong Kong, where mobile phones are nothing out of the ordinary, that, to me was something new. In Hong Kong, we sign up for mobile phone plans and get the phone through installments with the actual service plan. So, although it is safe to say that many Hong Kong people have the latest in mobile phone technology, the phone you carry doesn't define your social status at all.

Another incident I experienced was when I attended a business meeting. A colleague of mine had a rather shabby phone. He had an old Nokia model but he has kept it well maintained. While we were in the conference room, someone remarked: "You should change your phone. It looks so old. People might think you're poor."

The mentality probably stems from the fact that many people in the country live in poverty. Such simple things like the type of cellular phone you carry would of course depend on what you can afford. Because of this, having the latest models seems to define your social or financial status.

Personally, I could care less about the type of phone I have. As long as it serves its purpose, to call, to SMS and to be able to send emails, I'm all set.