Calling or texting… tough choice?
Well, it depends on your purpose. But if you want to establish meaningful relationships, we think that calling is the right thing to do. It’s been 30 years since the first SMS (short message service) was sent, and everything in telecommunications changed. From that moment, the supremacy of the old fashioned phone call has started to be threatened. But not replaced!
What’s the deal with messages?
- You can send SMSs for practical infos like when and where to meet, or if you are running late, without having to go through all the steps of an oral conversation.
- You can communicate in places where you can’t or don’t want to talk (at the doctor, library, at a loud concert).
- You often get notifications that your message was delivered to their phone. Nothing to do with a missed call. But you don’t know if they actually read your message. You also don’t know what state of emotion the person was in when they received your message, and therefore how they interpreted it.
- You get to take your time and really think about what you are about to write, if the situation is more sensitive. You can then avoid to say something that you’ll regret later. The trowback is that it’s often difficult to tell when someone is being sarcastic or passive-aggressive.
- You can often forget that there is another human being on the other side of that conversation thread. Your ego can start to take over.
Why call?
So, can we have meaningful conversations with someone over text messages? And can we really establish a similar rapport, build a friendship or share our deepest feelings through emojis?
We still think that calling is better than texting when it comes to building meaningful relationships. Here are some good reasons to sustain that:
- Calling or texting? Which is more effective? When you type a message you can’t render the nuances that come with vocal inflections, and often there are many meanings contained in those nuances, whether intentional or not. So the answer is calling.
- You are dedicating your time. The person whom you call will know that you are actually dedicating time to talk with them and that you value them.
- A phone call takes place in real-time. Don’t you just hate when you text someone and they only reply to you hours later, keeping you waiting, wondering, and impatient? People postpone answering texts for several reasons: they’re too busy, don’t want to seem too attached to their phones, or simply don’t hear the short SMS alert.
- Both sides are connecting more intensely. With the greater depth of conversations that you can have in a phone call, both sides are able to connect more intensely, thereby fostering a deeper relationship.
- At times, it is just easier to talk than text. Some matters are too complex and are just easier to call and talk about rather than be described in a text message. Whatever you need to say can be wrapped up in a two-minute conversation rather than a 20-minute back-and-forth text exchange.
- It’s in our nature to talk to each other. We are human beings with a need to communicate and with the instinct to talk. Having conversations teaches us many things that texting can’t. It teaches us to think fast, to control our reactions, and to interact with others. Talking also helps us get to know each other as well as ourselves better.
- Calling is usually less expensive. The cost of a minute of Voice Credit is usually lower than that of an SMS. Besides, the message you can compress in a maximum of characters can never compare to what you can communicate in a minute of phone conversation. So don’t postpone or find excuses.
