Where did the old-fashioned phone-call go wrong? Were the rings annoying? Did it offend you? Are you giving your voice a break from all the e-mails you sent at work? I’m not sure, but along the way we threw out the traditional means of communications for a more popular, secretive, dangerous (ask Tiger) and rather annoying method, that of texting.
Poor thumbs..
The single beep (of a text alert) has ultimately replaced the telephone ring; and in the process has made “I must have been away from the phone” an out-dated and unsatisfactory excuse. Rarely is there a situation where you cannot text; your friends know it, and you know it. Out to dinner? In church? Movie theater? Getting a root canal? Donald Draper might have used these excuses not to pick up the line, but you – you no good textaholic – have no right to ignore the requests of your friends, co-workers, and relatives.
Just last night, Alexander Graham Bell sent me a text (another celebrity contact) containing only three letters, “WTF?”, but Al – my man, it’s true. No one wants to hear a voice anymore. Instant feedback is not only appreciated for “Generation Me” but required. Is it any coincidence that Twitter’s character capacity is 140, while the average texting capacity is roughly 160? To put it bluntly; the more advanced we become as a species, the less we really have to say. Good for some, bad for thumbs.
Home phone? What’s that?
