texting?

[Narz]

One of those strange technologies that I don't think anyone would've predicted 30 years ago. We now have the real-time video chat imagined in many tv shows & movies from the 80's & 90's available free to anyone with a recent laptop & the internet but it's not nearly as popular as the far less intimate texting.

Texting is great to communicate with people you really don't want to talk to, avoiding real conversations but perhaps creating an even lonelier society, leading to needier people who will eat up even more time with you when they finally get you on the phone.

I think texting has it's place. I really don't like long back & forth text conversations though. Just call or write an email.

Overall, I much prefer email to texting. I don't really miss phone conversations as I never liked chatting on the phone much anyway.

What are your thoughts on texting?

 

[SS-18 ICBM]

People text back and forth more than a few times?

 

[cybrxkhan]

People text back and forth more than a few times?

Yes, we youngins apparently text for hours and hours on end.

That said though I almost never use actual texting per se, rather instant message/chat stuff (whether by facebook, skype, and so on). It's more convenient than emails as you can reply instantly and with short replies as necessary - in that sense it's a bit closer to a traditional conversation, rather than the email which is more similar to letter-writing and thus is more formal (at least to me).

For what it's worth, I'm a Luddite compared to the rest of the folks my age, and my friends can usually tell if its me simply because I tend to write in complete sentences and more formal language. Doesn't mean I can't mess around with them all the same.

 

[Arwon]

I very rarely have phone conversations with friend or family these days. All text.

 

[Zelig]

Texts and emails are functionally equivalent to me. I send either of them from any of my PCs/tablets/phones and receive them on any of my PCs/tablets/phones.

 

[Tarquelne]

Yes, we youngins apparently text for hours and hours on end.

You might think advancing technology allows people to exchange more information.

Well, OK, it actually does. But what we *want* is faster, more convenient, less-demanding, communication.

The next big thing is sending emoticons. The devices are truly tiny.

After that, people will just have one-button devices that send the latest selfie to all available recipients. Everyone just continually hits that button as fast as they can, hoping that someone will catch a glimpse of their picture before it's replaced by the next.

After that, I assume the tattered ruins of our civilization will give rise to a race of rat-people. /glances over previous posts./ Or Australians.

 

[Arwon]

I think of it this way: calling somebody is a very large demand on their time and their mental bandwidth. You're expecting them to drop everything and devote all their attention to you. This is very rarely justified if you're just exchanging simple information or making plans or the like.

It's pretty much only justified if you've got very urgent (I've been waiting outside for ten minutes, where are you?) or complex things to discuss (what are our plans for your mum's birthday?). Most of what you have to say, even to your friends and family, doesn't need to be immediately imposed on them in real time and can comfortably be relegated to low mental bandwidth, low time pressure media such as SMS.

Edit: also pretty much everyone has endless free texts these days

 

[SoupJuice]

I wish I invented texting. It is the new way of communication for the youngin's

 

[Cutlass]

Don't text. Don't want to text.

 

[Zelig]

I think of it this way: calling somebody is a very large demand on their time and their mental bandwidth. You're expecting them to drop everything and devote all their attention to you. This is very rarely justified if you're just exchanging simple information or making plans or the like.

It's pretty much only justified if you've got very urgent (I've been waiting outside for ten minutes, where are you?) or complex things to discuss (what are our plans for your mum's birthday?). Most of what you have to say, even to your friends and family, doesn't need to be immediately imposed on them in real time and can comfortably be relegated to low mental bandwidth, low time pressure media such as SMS.

Making plans over SMS is awful if you're both busy people who have any logistics to work out, it takes a dozen back-and-forth texts over the span of hours to plan something that would take a minute if you called.

 

[Kennigit]

If you want a response immediately, call

If you are informing about something you want confirmation of receipt, call

If you are informing about something in the future not important (e.g "you good for tomorrow at 20:00?"), text

People will not remember committments done over the phone for flexible social things (does 20:00 really matter vs 21:00?). Having it in writing helps. Doesnt really matter if that is email or text

 

[Arwon]

Making plans over SMS is awful if you're both busy people who have any logistics to work out, it takes a dozen back-and-forth texts over the span of hours to plan something that would take a minute if you called.

That falls under "complex".

 

[sophie]

I think of it this way: calling somebody is a very large demand on their time and their mental bandwidth. You're expecting them to drop everything and devote all their attention to you. This is very rarely justified if you're just exchanging simple information or making plans or the like.

It's pretty much only justified if you've got very urgent (I've been waiting outside for ten minutes, where are you?) or complex things to discuss (what are our plans for your mum's birthday?). Most of what you have to say, even to your friends and family, doesn't need to be immediately imposed on them in real time and can comfortably be relegated to low mental bandwidth, low time pressure media such as SMS.

Edit: also pretty much everyone has endless free texts these days

This. Also calling entails a lot of really stuffy formal etiquette crap (hello...hello, how are you...good, and you? blah blah blah) which can be very tedious. With texting you get right to the point. It's less stuffy, which is one aspect of texting which I prefer x100000 to ordinary phone calls.

 

[Zelig]

That falls under "complex".

By that metric pretty much any "planning" falls under "complex", other than simply confirming plans that are already made.

This. Also calling entails a lot of really stuffy formal etiquette crap (hello...hello, how are you...good, and you? blah blah blah)

Eh, no it doesn't. Everyone has caller ID now - I call, they say hello, I start talking. I answer my own phone with just "hey" or "yo" to save on syllables.

 

[Arwon]

By that metric pretty much any "planning" falls under "complex", other than simply confirming plans that are already made.

NAh.

"Beers at the Phoeno at 7?" mass text gets it done. "Feel like watching the footy down at the club tomorrow?" or "Dinner Thursday night?" etc.

 

[ywhtptgtfo]

My experience with SMS is soured by (1) the awful control interface and (2) the awful Windows 8 autocomplete.

 

[Zelig]

"Beers at the Phoeno at 7?"

I don't like the Phoeno but the location is nice, what else is good around there?

"Feel like watching the footy down at the club tomorrow?"

Yeah, can you pick me up from the SW or is your wife in the area?

"Dinner Thursday night?" etc.

What should I make?

etc.

My experience with SMS is soured by (1) the awful control interface and (2) the awful Windows 8 autocomplete.

More details about (1)?

I don't see how (2) is applicable to SMS?

 

[ywhtptgtfo]

More details about (1)?

I don't see how (2) is applicable to SMS?

(1) Keyboard is very small
(2)I use Windows phone

 

[Zelig]

(1) Keyboard is very small
(2)I use Windows phone

Oh, you mean Windows Phone, not Windows 8, hence my confusion. Since switching to swype-like typing on Windows Phone, I've been incredibly impressed by how good the autocorrect is.

 

[Zack]

This. Also calling entails a lot of really stuffy formal etiquette crap (hello...hello, how are you...good, and you? blah blah blah) which can be very tedious. With texting you get right to the point. It's less stuffy, which is one aspect of texting which I prefer x100000 to ordinary phone calls.

I dunno, greetings usually don't go past "hey" in my personal experience.