I found myself really intrigued by McCulloch’s sixth chapter and the ways in which I relate to some of things she says, as well as how I might interpret things a bit differently than the vast majority of people (maybe?), when it comes to how conversation has changed and how I’ve adapted to it myself, in my own way. It made me think more about texting and how that has become such a big part of our daily conversations. Personally, I’m not someone who prefers speaking or having full conversations through text and being that way can feel oddly strange and isolating sometimes in a world that now prefers to communicate this way. I will ignore certain calls, yes, but I am quicker to respond by phone than I am by text and the people that know me have become accustomed to that.
For me, texting or typing on social media requires me to stop whatever I’m doing in the moment in order to respond to something and a lot of times, I find myself frustrated with the distraction of virtual conversations. I also don’t necessarily think it’s a generational thing, and I’m curious as to why it is. I have a friend, also a middle-aged mom (that sounds weird), that could write a book through text and has even written an entire grad paper on her phone. I can’t even read what’s on my phone half the time. My point is, age doesn’t seem to be a factor in why some can communicate efficiently through tech and some prefer not to.
It’s also easy, very easy, for me to forget about texts if I don’t respond to them right away which makes them a bit of a nuisance. This happens often, “out of sight, out of mind.” In fact, I am known in my family as the person who doesn’t respond to texts or at least, not in a timely fashion, but not because I don’t want to, but because it’s just not a priority for me or I just forget about them altogether.
Whether I’m in the car trying to break up a UFC match happening between my little angels in the back seat, or running them into dance class in the pouring rain, or paying taxes in the building downtown where the sweet little lady glares at me over her spectacles, notifying me that my phone should be off in the building because I’m five... or grocery shopping at Mach speed so I don’t have to hear someone beg for Oreo's for the 47th time, or making dinner, or finishing up a deadline for class, whatever it may be and when I hear that little "ding"... texting at times, for me, can be more annoying than just answering a phone call.
I myselfI am not a huge Texter either. If it’s some thing that is more than a couple sentences I would rather call. Also when you have kids you can multitask and talk on the phone and watch them at the same time, however it’s harder to do that when you’re texting!
ReplyDeleteI love how I can relate to this so much. Maybe we are not big texters because our lives are so busy we literally just don’t have the time. Texting requires you to stop what you’re doing and answer and it’s even more annoying when it warrants a large response. At that point I’d rather just call or meet in person, But everyone is so different in what they prefer.
ReplyDeleteI agree, Hannah. I think it is partially the busyness of life, but I also wonder if there are just some people who prefer a slower pace (I know I do) and time to think instead of this sort of instant-fire, edge of your seat response to everything all the time.
DeleteOh, this speaks to me! I am so bad at texting on my phone. First, it just takes me forever. That is why I prefer Facebook messenger for a lot of my chatting--I am a much faster typist on keyboard. And yes: I will forget to respond to folks on regular texts. And I kind of groan every time I have to send one. My sister (who is older than me!) can send, like your friend, novels worth of texts!
ReplyDeleteHaha.. that's funny about your sister, Dr. H. My sister is younger but she def gets on my case about not getting back to her asap. It's just really funny how different people are.
DeleteI should also add that when I use Facebook Messenger (from a computer), I am usually *not* doing a bunch of things or in motion, you know? That also makes it easier to respond.
ReplyDeleteI think a lot of it comes down to the ability to multitask or not, which I believe honestly just comes down to the individual and how their brains are wired. My mother can do a thousand things at once and not forget a single thing, but in the time it takes me to get up and walk to the kitchen, I will forget what I've gone in there for. If I get a notification while I'm working, it throws me completely off my stride. But mind you, if I hide the notification, I will literally never remember to check it or respond. But now the phone is blinking! It's distracting! I am slowly going insane!
ReplyDeleteAnd this is from someone fully "wired" who can and will have four conversations at once through DMs and call that a fun night with friends. I really think a lot of it might come down to how well equipped we as individuals are to deal with interruptions.
I can see that some, Lee. Although I've had jobs in the past, before I went back to school, where multitasking was key and that didn't seem to bother me so much in those positions, I actually thrived off of the chaos at a newspaper that I worked at for years.
DeleteFor me, it's something about texting on the phone takes up more mental space and I just don't look forward to it. Who knows.. maybe I'm just old and tired. It could be that, too. ;)
Yeah: I multitask pretty well, too. For me, it's mostly that I am slow, but I also think it pulls me out of the moment more, somehow.
DeleteYes, Dr. H. Definitely pulls me out the moment.
DeleteThis was such a fascinating blog and comment thread to read, because I am one of those people who prefers to text over calling on the phone. I wonder if this phenomenon we all have stumbled upon has anything to do with how you prefer to communicate with people more than just the ability to multi-task. I know that I prefer texting because when I have to talk to people over the phone or in person there is a higher chance that I'll mix up my words or not be able to communicate what I wanted to say due to nervousness. Maybe it all depends on how comfortable you are holding verbal conversations instead of just a matter of age or tech-savviness.
ReplyDelete