Word of Mouth

We live in a day and age of technology. Mankind’s innovation of cell phones has taken over our daily lives. It’s provided ways to work through the internet, shop and get our needs through delivery, and most of all, to communicate to anyone and anywhere on our Earth. This communication has given us two options, sending text messages or calling one another. Both have their pros and cons and can be used interchangeably in a multitude of different scenarios. But what works best, and when?

Studies have shown that texting and calling have been used almost equally in this day and age. The demographic proves that our answers can’t be shown by data but by personal preference. Our option comes down to the scenario that we’re in. Factors apply like: Who am I talking to? What setting am I in? How much time do I have? What’s the gravity of the situation? Will my tone make a difference? All these factors play a large role in our decision.

There are many pros and cons to each one of these options. Texting is a very swift way of communicating. It can be done when you’re in a rush, or when you need to multitask work. Texting is great also because it’s quiet. Even when you’re in a room of people, or a business meeting, you can still hold a conversation with someone … as long as you don’t get caught. From that, I’ll also say how private a text message can be. Everyone around you can’t hear what you’re talking about and is disclosed between you and the recipient. Texting can also damage many parts of a relationship. Messages can come across as different from what the sender intended. Factors like tone, facial expressions, and pace all have a positive effect towards a conversation. Having those factors makes communicating faster and more understandable. But texting doesn’t include those factors, making messages hard to decipher and sometimes taken the wrong way. I’ve run into multiple instances when someone has read a message of mine the completely wrong way. I’ll try to communicate that I want to hang out with someone, and then they read it as a retort and that I dislike them. Without my facial expressions and joyful tone, it’s hard to be sincere with my words. Having sincerity is crucial, especially in situations with a very heavy gravity or of great importance and meaning.

Unlike texting, some conversations need to be through the phone and even better in person, because just hearing someone’s voice brings a sense of comfort and veracity. Talking through a phone call is a much more efficient way to build a rapport with someone. A phone call carries over truthfulness that can’t be received from text. The main reason for this is that things need to be responded back instantly. Being on the phone doesn’t give you the time to think about your response. This sometimes means you don’t say what you intended, but it builds so much more trust because it’s coming right from the heart without thought. This fast response also means that calling is very efficient. Getting a topic discussed can be done in half if not more than half the time. Calling has this over text and that’s that emotions like sadness, anger, and even sarcasm can be heard through the phone. Tone plays a large role in this when on a call. Besides all these things, calling still has some imperfections in some situations. Calling isn’t very confidential, making your conversation partially exposed to everyone around you. Depending on where you may be and who you are around, you don’t always want people to hear.

Throughout my life, texting and calling have been used equally as well. When it comes to my personal needs and life, I’ve have noticed is that I tend to use calling with people I’m more connected to. For example my family, close friends, and girlfriend. Something about a call to someone I’m not familiar with is awkward and not enticing. I would much rather text a distant friend. In my professional life, texting is the most common way to communicate. My boss tends to text me updates and schedule changes. On the other hand, when I’m marketing my business and setting up appointments, I always prefer a call. Like I said earlier, a call is more personal and it helps me build a rapport with my customers, which is crucial.

I think as I grow older and enter my adult years, texting will be very common. But I do believe that calling is more productive and meaningful. I plan to use calling more than texting so people can hear my tone and can get things discussed in an efficient manner.

“phone” by raindog808 is licensed under CC BY 2.0.