Ah, yes. The never ending debate on which is more beneficial. Which leads to a deeper human connection? Which one best portrays your point of view?
To be honest, why do we care? It seems as though this debate began to rise when it became a clich' to say that texting conversations happen across the table. I do believe it does! Yet, I have not seen it. It could just be a misunderstanding, but I am not calling anyone a liar. I am calling you an assumptionist: a word I made up to describe those who assume the first thing that pops into their heads is reality. I can be guilty of this too, but I like to think that I am aware of the fact that I am assuming. But I digress.
The point of today's little written escapade is to break down the fight between calling and texting to their smallest components. This way, we can see if there really is a tipping of the scales.
Fighters are entering the ring.
The bell sounds.
BEGIN!
Expression of Humor
POINT: Texting
With the ability to send gifs (with the right kind of phone) or faces to convey your emotions, there are some hilarious conversations that can occur. Not that they can't occur over the phone, but where else can you be sarcastic without sounding too much like a butt?
Human Interaction
POINT: Calling
Okay, now this one should be pretty obvious. While in traditional calling you cannot see the person's face, Facetime and Skype have made it so you can have human, face-to-face interaction with someone across state or international borders. With texting, there is virtually no human interaction. See? Told you this one should be obvious.
Conveying Emotion
POINT: Calling
It is only through vocal inflection that the receiver can recognize the emotion or feeling the speaker is attempting to convey. With texting, everything is open to interpretation and there is a chance of misreading what you are saying. While this can happen during calling too, it definitely happens more often in texts. Calling wins again!
Fast and Easy Interaction
POINT: Tie
While the person on the other line may not always pick up, you can always leave a voicemail. Texting may not convey emotions as well, but the point gets across quickly and easily. So, both are actually quite impeccable at sending a message quickly and easily.
Ability to Send Someone a Special Message to Brighten Up their Day
POINT: Tie
Just thought I would do a little cutesy one as the last point because...that's who I am! The reason this is a tie is the same reason as the last one. Through both, you can let someone know that they are special and loved in order to give them the motivation to get through the day. Cool, right?
RESULTS
WINNER: Calling
Of course there are hundreds of other points I could distribute, but would you want to spend all day reading the same article? I know I wouldn't!
Now you may want to ask, "Erik, why all the sarcasm?" While I believe it may add a bit of humor to the cliche nature of the article, I used the sarcasm because I believe the entire idea of a competition between the two to be unnecessary. While they are both under the category of communication, they can be used in different ways. Texting is a more convenient way of communicating with multiple people at once or to communicate with the same person over a long period of time. Calling allows for a more fulfilling conversation where emotions can be shared without the same risk of misinterpretation. Why compare them? They are both useful. They are both wonderful pieces of technology. Just please do not use your phone when it would be disrespectful.
