The other day in class we discussed talking on the phone vs. texting, and it turned out to be a very interesting (and comical at some points) class discussion.
Mainly, the whole point of the discussion was "do you talk more on the phone? or text?"
It was very interesting and surprising to find how many people have different pathways to contacting them with varying levels of formality/awkwardness/urgency/etc. Some people, for example, preferred being called on the phone, as its quicker and more direct, however they like texts if the matter isn't pressing or important. Some people thought it was awkward to call someone you didn't really know, and that through text or instant messenger was far more appropriate, and that calling someone was only good if you have an established informal relationship with the other party already.
I myself prefer calling people when I need to contact them instantly, but texting and instant messaging is a good informal medium for getting to know people... however, I would prefer to have long conversations on instant messagner... its a lot easier and I can talk to multiple people at once. If I tried calling one of my buddies "just to talk" they would be like "what are you doing." But IF I called my dad to catch up, he would love it.
As such, I feel like the definition of formality for the channels of communication are still not universal, and it is not a huge cultural thing... it actually varies from person to person... which I find to be very interesting.
People use technology to create a world that's comfortable for them.
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