:: Communication and It’s Downfall ::
So, I got back my train of thoughts today.. here goes.. Communication can be a bitch sometimes. *arrrggghhhhh*…
Sometimes we take the art of text messaging for granted. I’ve always been a phone person cos I hate waiting on replies.. but there were points in my life where I realised that text messaging is convenient and necessary, especially when you’re in the midst of trying to get to know someone. Calling sometimes is a bit too much. Text messaging is convenient as people can reply when they’re free. but.. you’d also have to master the art of patience if
a) they take ages to reply.
b) they’re soooo not into text messaging.
When i got to know this person I really like, I took for granted that everyone text messages these days. That was my fault, for assuming. Now, I know that to this certain someone, text messaging is usually an important question, or a statement.. but never an ongoing conversation.
So, upon dealing with the hassles of the early bit of a relationship (or dating or anything similar to it).. figuring out whether it’s okay to call or whether you should be the one to call first or if you should wait for the other person to call you instead.. this high-tech IT savvy world just has to add-on these other traumas by adding text messaging and emailing to our dilemma.
The point of adding text messaging and emailing, i reckon, was to improve levels of communication.. to keep up with the speed in our lives where everyone seems to be on-the-go a lot. It is supposed to allow us to get the message across effectively.. and they even added the feature of delivery reports so that we’d KNOW that they DID receive your text.. should it drive you nuts, did they get it? did they not? did it get lost in tele-space? OMG! maybe, just maybe i should send it AGAIN.. you know.. just in case.
*shakes head*..
Delivery reports man.. at least you know they got it. If they choose not to reply to it immediately, then maybe you can go a little loony.. I know I do sometimes.. haha…
Text messaging and emailing has got to be the biggest barriers when it comes to communicating effectively with your possible partner. You would have thought that having these advantages to our so-called communication would simplify our lives… haha.. sureee.. the reality of things is that it has led to breakdowns of exchange.. left too open to interpretation or translation. Even so, text messaging has superseded phone calls as the most common form of mobile phone communication.
Sometimes it is so much easier to send text messages, in my case, ultra long ones cos I hate to express myself via phone or face-to-face especially when I have a lot to say & I know I might choke on words. Sometimes you’re scared of rejection or scared that the person might not actually be listening to you.. sometimes it’s easier to just send something without engaging in an actual conversation..
Text messaging itself can be misconstrued.. and boy have I learned that well in these past few days.. there is no tone by which humour can be expressed.. no emphasis which could indicate annoyance.. yet so many texts can be read as such. On a normal day, a playful "whatever" would be viewed as funny.. on a day that is not going so great, you’d probably be taken aback and view it as "what the hell??"
Oh, while I’m on this subject.. another favorite would be the text messaging under the influence of alcohol.. there’s even a specific name for it.. intexticating.. haha… This is almost as damaging as drunk dialing.. so, if you’re prone to drunk dial, for the love of your pride.. delete those people from your phone book.. it’s a bit of work for you to drunk dial a string of numbers by memory instead.. and IF luck is on your side, you might, just might send what could be your pride-going-down-the-toilet-bowl to a wrong number.. Thank your lucky stars if that does happen.
There’s also email etiquette. I hate abbreviations unless you use those commonly accepted ones.. other than those that are widely understood, I’d appreciate it if people didn’t butcher their text messages OR emails as it sometimes takes me longer to understand what the hell the person is trying to say in the first place. What cost you 10-15 cents now costs me more than a buck, cos i need to call you up to say i didn’t understand your text message. if it was via email, it would be easier (and free) to just tell the person off though.
Whoever thought that only between men and women, they have always found it difficult to keep the lines of communication open. That’s not true. It doesn’t get any easier between the same gender too. The added technology of text messaging and emailing has made it more complicated.
Oh, don’t even start on Caller ID. Whoever thought it would be a good idea to invent that? If she doesn’t pick up, does that mean she’s busy? or still mad at me? or uninterested to speak to me? or ignoring me?
Two to three hours later you’re going INSANE.. like seriously insane, asking yourself WHY THE HELL HASN’T SHE CALLED BACK?!! (of course among other cronic questions you have running through your mind at the time…)
I say, make a phone call.. to a line without Caller ID. haha..
