That is the question.
I'm not sure when texting caught on in my life. But it happened sometime a couple years ago. Sure I did it before then, but not with the zest that I do it with now. Much of my planning and conversation with friends and family is done via text message. Its just easier that way.
However, it has been brought to my attention that some people find a text impersonal and others just don't text. No texting? Yeah, I don't get it either. I want to divulge further into a text being impersonal. Let me start off by saying, I would never do something crazy like fire someone via text message (of course I am currently no one's boss and I have never had to fire someone anyway, but you get what I am saying). I do think saying something serious like that via text is going too far. But, I will say a lot via text message. It is an easy way to let someone know you are thinking about them.
I was involved in a conversation the other day where people thought texting wasn't very personal and a phone call would mean so much more. I disagreed explaining that much of my day is filled with the noise of a toddler making it difficult to talk to someone on the phone. Also, if someone sends me a nice text, I can look at it over and over to remember the nice thing they said. I even have full blown conversations via text message. Many times for the same reason I mentioned before, toddler noise. Sometimes it is just easier to text.
Now let me talk about planning...One thing I LOVE about planning via text message is that I then have something to go back and look at to remember the date, time, place or address. You see, I don't have a calendar and I loose things (like pieces of paper where I write someone's address or phone number), so it is nice to have a text to go back and read to remember what I need to know.
So I wonder, what makes someone prefer texting over phone calls? Age? Tech savvyness? Cell phone plan? I really don't know the answer to that. I really don't think it is age. I do think tech savvyness, or really, what kind of phone you have will determine how often you text. But I wonder how certain people "fall behind" on technology while others stay up to date. And, I am sure for some out there their cell phone plan dictates if and how often they text. For me, I got the unlimited plan cause I just gotta text!
And so I ask,
Do you prefer to text or call?
Posts
tex, text, text!!!
ReplyDeleteYes, with toddler noise and craziness it's SO much easier to text. i LOVe texting. I agree that I texting has it's limits, (I had a friend who was dumbed via text - by a 40 year old man! - absolutely not appropriate), but for most things texting is just easier. I've always disliked talking on the phone so I've embraced texting with open arms - I too have the unlimited :)
It's a good question.
ReplyDeleteI don't understand how texting can be considered impersonal, especially in this age of twitters, IMs, and emails. I mean, they're basically all the same thing.
Yet, I don't text very often. For two reasons.
1) I'm unsure how the other person will take it (i.e. the people who think it's impersonal.)
2) If texting wasn't part of our relationship before, it probably won't be now. For example, I hardly ever text my best friend, who I've known since middle school. We didn't have texting then, when we became friends, so it doesn't occur to me to text her now.
Good question!
I MUUUUUCH prefer text for all the reasons you listed.
ReplyDeleteIt's better to text when I'm in a situation where I can't call (at work) or when I don't have time for a full conversation or when I only have one thing to say or when I want a physical confirmation to look back on. The same is true for the other person (what if THEY can't call, only have one thing to say, etc). Last but not least, I don't really like talking on the phone so if I don't text someone, chances are I probably wont call them either so they'll just never know I thought about them.