GBENGA ADENIJI writes that subdued by the
Internet age, letter writing has lost its value
as a means of communication among lovers
Like a fairy tale, there was a time when
letter writing reigned supreme as an
effective communication mode.
Among lovebirds, the exchange of love
letters was a constant pastime.
These letters, emotionally-crafted, were
often a treasure to the receiver.
Common phrases like-You are the only
sugar in my tea; you are the only cockroach
in my cupboard; you are the only flower in
my garden; I drop my pen in the basket of
love, among others, were often used to the
delight of the recipients of the letters.
Many people still keep the love letters they
received so many years ago even though
they may not be married to the writer. Such
was the power of love letters.
A client service officer with a Lagos-based
firm, Bukola Akingbola, says the allure of
love letters in relationships cannot be
compared to any of the newest means of
communication.
“I appreciate love letters so much. I
remember that I once got one from an
admirer while I was in the secondary
school,” she says.
According to her, whenever the going got
tough in her relationship then, she used to
take out the letters to remember when the
going was good.
Also, Olumide Olasunkanmi, who works in a
hospital, says he was always joyful when he
wrote or received a love letter from an
admirer. He remembers vividly how he was
excited 20 years ago, when he got his first
love letter from a girl.
He states that he placed the letter on his
chest for minutes and cuddled it like a baby.
Twenty years after, he remembers the exact
words in the letter.
“She wrote: ‘You are such a gentle young
guy. A responsible lady like me must not
miss a guy like you. I feel the pleasure
whenever you visit our home with your
piano. I will want you to sing me many
lovely songs especially your adaptation of
Ebenezer Obey’s Olomi Jowo Jeka ma
Gbadun. I am proud of you for wining our
school debate competition,” he says.
But suddenly, like a candle in the wind, love
letters are no more.
Akingbola, says the advent of the Short
Message Service and the new technological
breakthroughs in communication have
taken the shine off love letters.
Her position was supported by a
copywriter, Akeem Akinniyi, who posits that
telephones have discouraged the idea of
love letters.
He explains that people find it easy to send
a text message or put a call to their loved
ones rather than engage in letter writing.
“The last time I wrote a love letter was in
1996. It is too old-fashioned in modern
times. More so, teenagers have more
freedom now unlike some years ago, when
keeping late nights was forbidden.
Nowadays, you see many youths roaming
the streets at odd hours. Going by these
realities, you wonder ‘Why play Romeo?’”
Though communication inventions have
discouraged letter writing, a computer
engineer, Bolaji Adekunle, says academic
laziness on the part of youths was the
straw that broke the camel’s back.
Adekunle, says most of the words
contained in text messages are
grammatically-flawed.
He says, “Letter writing requires
competence. It is unlike SMS, where words
can be abbreviated and the reader will not
bother.”
A teacher, Samuel Sodeinde, connects the
arrival of telephones and social media to
the death of letter writing. He submits that
pupils no longer find it interesting to
engage in letter writing when they have the
latest communications gadgets.
Sodeinde says, “I encourage them to write
so as to revive the pitiable state of letter
writing in schools. During comprehension
lessons, I often urge them to write and
even assure them that if what they write
put them into trouble, I will defend them. It
is my view that the more they write, the
more they will see their mistakes and
adjust.
“There is no way they can write well if we
concentrate on other communication
methods. The coming of mobile telephones
and social media has affected the fortunes
of letter writing and any other type of
letters.”
A Professor of Economics, Folayan Ojo,
observes that it is not only letter writing
that has been endangered but also the
making and buying of Christmas and
birthday cards. He says, rather than
purchase any of these cards for loved ones
during celebrations, many now prefer to
send SMS.
Such development, according to the 71-
year-old don, has led to the breakdown in
character values, spelling errors and poor
performance in examinations.
“Generally, because of the advent of
development in Information
Communication Technology, email, Skype,
SMS and all the social networking sites such
as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube-where one
can upload videos, people no longer write
letters.
“This situation has a negative effect on
youths who cannot write good English
because of their inability to write either
formal or informal letters.”
The lecturer recalls how he used to
communicate via letters with his white
girlfriend when he was still studying in
Canada.
“I would use a blue writing pad to write to
her. It used to be fun in those days
especially during Christmas. That was from
1965 to 1968, during my undergraduate
days. Since there was no mobile phone to
communicate with her, we resorted to
exchanging messages through letters,” he
says.
A dealer in second-hand books, Silas
Ibinife, who once sold love, Christmas and
birthday cards, states that he abandoned
the business when he noticed that the
patronage was drastically dropping.
Ibinife adds that when it dawned on him
that people prefer to send SMS and emails
to buying cards, which they would
eventually throw away, he opted for
another trade.
A programme officer of a Lagos-based non-
governmental organisation, Francesca
Abiola, expresses similar views. According
to her, new methods of communication
such as instant messages and SMS have
relegated letter writing to the background.
Abiola states that the new methods are
faster and timely compared to letters
especially if they have to be posted.
She says, “There is speed of delivery with
these modern means of communication.
You can send an email or SMS and get a
reply immediately. If you have to post a
letter, it may take some days before it gets
delivered and you have to wait again for a
reply.”
To Oluwakemi Fashoto, a health
administrator, people are no longer
interested in putting pen to paper and
pouring out their feelings.
Fashoto states that people are now lazy in
writing, particularly, for the youth who she
says, find it convenient to delete a SMS after
reading.
She says, “One can also clear chat after a
lengthy chat session on the phone; but
“deleting” a love letter on paper is
cumbersome. If one tears and throws it
into a dustbin, an inquisitive mother will
pick and read. Set it on fire then a nosy
daddy will want to know what’s burning.
“Nowadays, one finds it easier to pour out
one’s feelings via phone. I will feel
honoured and valued If I am to receive a
love letter in this age because I know what
it takes to write out one’s feelings. Although
I can’t remember the last time I received a
love letter.”
A professor of Psychology at the
Department of Psychology, Faculty of Social
Sciences, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile
Ife, Oluwatoba Elegbeleye, says he does not
believe that people no longer write love
letters.
The lecturer notes that there are new
modern alternatives to writing love letters
which he says are easier, less cumbersome,
faster and convenient.
Elegbeleye adds that technology has taken
relationships to a very high level.
“In social sciences where we like to verify
facts, we cannot absolutely conclude on
that. I will rather say people no longer use
the missive form because we are operating
a ‘noodle’ world where people send text
messages and emails. From another angle,
people now read and write less. But they
still communicate love through other
modern channels,” he states.
Perhaps, letter writing did not envisage
what lay in stock for its future when the
first mobile telephone call was placed in St.
Louis, Missouri, United States, on June 17,
1946 from a telephone set installed in an
automobile. The feat was the product of
over a decade work by Bell Labs scientists
Alton Dickieson, D. Mitchell and H.I. Romnes.
Then in April 3, 1973, a Motorola researcher
and executive, Martin Cooper, made the first
mobile telephone call from a handheld
subscriber equipment, calling Dr. Joel S.
Engel of Bell Labs.
Interestingly, letter writing may not be the
only one facing this challenge of the ‘once-
courted bride.’ The SMS which, despite
marking its two decade in December 2012,
after it changed the way people interact
with each other, is believed to be facing
threat from Twitter and other forms of
instant messaging.

WELL I STILL write letters....but not often sha