From telegraphs to morse code, telephones to radio, satellites to internet, cordless phones to pagers, mobile phones and instant messaging to smart phones and tablets and finally to social media, we have witnessed and experienced the breakthroughs of technological forms of communication.
It seems that with each new generation of advancements we as a society get farther and farther away from good ole’ genuine old school communication.
It’s no mystery that I’m old school which is the reason I chose to represent this post with a corded landline phone rather than a cell.
Let me tell you a true story:
One day a woman called a member of her family to chat with them. The family member was a bit taken back by the phone call. Instead of saying “oh wow, it’s so good to hear from you” the family member responded with these words
You know most people do text these days instead of calling. It’s easier that way since we’re all so busy.
🫢🥺😒
The woman was a bit hurt and frustrated by the comment. She felt if she wanted to call one of her loved ones instead of texting her life away she should be able to do that. She couldn’t believe the response she received.
Has it really gotten this bad where people are bothered by a phone call?
I believe when social distancing took place it brought on a whole new level of broken communication.
I hear people complaining that their family hardly visits and now on top of that we have become this text messaging only society.
What prompted me to write this post was a reaction of my own that I had recently when a friend called me. This friend usually sends me messages but out of the blue one weekend they actually gave me a call. You know what I said quietly out loud?
What? She’s calling me? 😯
Like there was something wrong with that.
I was so mad at myself for even saying that and thinking it was shocking or something. Yes, there are still people out there that would like to have a real conversation and hear your voice rather than playing the typing indicator wait game.
My husband has been challenging me for awhile now to stop texting and just pick up the phone and call people. You know us ladies like to talk and sometimes we go deep, getting our emotions out so we can deal with them. We also like to share details so we tend to type longer than men.
I will literally sit there and type out a three paragraph message instead of calling someone. I’ve gotten into that way of thinking that people don’t want to be bothered with a call, or so and so might be too busy or what if I’m calling at a bad time.
That’s why there’s an option to answer or not 😅.
If someone is too busy or doesn’t want to be bothered then hopefully they won’t pick up the phone. If they do, don’t get mad at me because you chose to answer 🤷🏽♀️😆.
I was also inspired by a close friend of mine who NEVER rarely texts back. She even admits she’s horrible when it comes to replying and getting back with folks. If you text her don’t expect a response for up to a week lol. No lie, it’s that bad 🤭.
She calls me now pretty much on a regular basis. Recently I started calling her instead of texting. Not only because I know I probably won’t hear back from her that same week but also because she’s rubbing off on me. She has inspired me to get back to calling people again.
People are lonely out there. Times are so hard and different now that one call could make someone’s day. It could possibly be the first step to helping someone out of their depression.
I know that text messaging along with so many other innovations has made our lives much easier and convenient but sometimes going back to the basics is not such a bad idea. @Riverflows recently talked about something similar when she shared she missed those days when the internet wasn’t able to be in our pockets and travel with us all day.
Our faces are so glued to technology that we don’t even have time to look up to have a good conversation anymore. We don’t care to hear a person’s voice when we can just quickly message them and be done with it.
Our communication has sadly lost its value.
What was once done on a regular basis has dwindled away and we have settled for a watered down version, a lazier option and a system that creates loneliness and feelings of rejection. 🙁
Don’t get me wrong, I love texting and sending emojis and gifs. I’m not saying it’s a bad thing that we have this option but it’s sad when it’s the only thing some people prefer now. It’s sad that an actual phone call is becoming extinct.
When’s the last time you actually gave someone a ring? Maybe there is someone hoping to hear your voice soon and not just reading from you. I challenge you to make a call this week. ❤️
