Hey besties! I’m not really able to come up with any proper introduction so imma just move on to what I want to talk about in this post.
I was just thinking about how much we're dependent on text messaging. I’m talking even before the pandemic hit. Ever since WhatsApp was a thing, messaging has been the new way of communicating. It’s communication to literally anywhere in the world, for free!!!! No wonder why it’s so successful.
I mean, there probably were instant messaging services before WhatsApp, like Facebook messenger or Instagram DM’s or iMessage, but for me personally, I feel all of this started with WhatsApp. Like, who uses Facebook anymore? Come to think of it, why does no one use Facebook anymore. Maybe that’s for another blog post.
Getting ideas for new blog posts while writing one is just great!
So I’m doing some research. Facebook Messenger was launched on 9 August 2011. iMessage also came around on 12 October 2011. Instagram DM’s came about in December 2013( and you could message only up to 15 people, how cute!). And WhatsApp takes the lead because it was released in February 2009. So I was right. It did start with WhatsApp. Woooo!!! That’s some great guesswork.
So I’m talking about texting because it is probably the most common form of communication now. It’s probably someone’s most preferred form of communication. It is for me. I’m more of a texter than a caller. The reason I prefer texts over calls is because, I feel, when you call somebody, you’ve gotta give them your full attention. Not so with texts. You can respond at your own pace or not respond at all. Also, calls can go on for hours which could ruin your time management plans.
So, as stated earlier, texting is a very common means of communication and there are many texting/messaging avenues you can use. But, honestly speaking, texting isn’t always the most effective form of communication.
One thing I really like about texting is that it can be super informal. Calls get super formal and awkward, emails are preferred to be used with a good presentation or a proper format. I usually associate emails with something super formal. Not so with texts. You can opt to properly draft your messages or chats, but let’s be honest, how many times do we actually do that. Speaking for myself, I don’t. And that’s great! Too much formality can get awkward and could make you more nervous. Please do be sure that when I talk about formality, I’m talking about the kind of formal behaviour you put on when you meet a new person or when you’re talking to your superior. With texts, it's much calmer and shouldn’t feel too awkward.
However, texting can be really frustrating when you’re trying to converse with a dry texter. According to the internet, a dry texter is the type of person who responds to messages with one-word answers — or, worse, single letters. I have encountered dry texters in my life too, and there are times I just wanna smash a watermelon into their heads. I mean, how boring could your life be that you can’t string together more than 2 sentences!!! Dry texters should be banned. Wait, no, that’s a bit too harsh. Sometimes, even I turn into a dry texter, but that’s probably because I’m not in a good mood or something and it’s only for a short while. Otherwise, I’d like to believe that I’m a pretty good texter.
Voice messages are a blessing!!! Well, for me, at least. There are times when I’m too lazy to type, so voice messages come in handy. But I do tend to overdo it a little bit. I mean sometimes I just go on rambling only to realise I’ve recorded a 5 minute audio😂. I pity those who have to listen to it😂. But there’s this weird thing I do after I record a voice message and that is that I listen to what I’ve recorded after sending. I have now reduced doing this but I still do this quite a lot. Please tell me I’m not the only one.
Diverting a bit from dry texters, I wanna talk about those who cannot, and I do mean CANNOT, type actual words. For example, “hw r u? M f9.” If they use numbers, it’s even worse!!!!! Like why!!? I’ll admit that there was a time that I texted like this too, but I was probably 12 or 13 and didn’t have a brain. I don’t do that anymore though, thank God! I mean, I do use abbreviations like btw, tbh etc., but that’s acceptable, right? We have things like autocorrect, autocomplete and word and emoji suggestions and whatnot. Why is it still so hard for you to type!!??? It hurts me, genuinely.
Although texting is great, it doesn’t compare to face-to-face conversations. When you speak to someone physically, or in person, it’s not only what they say, but also the way they say it. Their facial expressions, body language and tone of voice really enhance a conversation. So no matter how much I like texting, it isn’t as effective as a face-to-face conversation and I totally get why so many people prefer phone or video calls (especially with the pandemic and lockdowns) as compared to texting. Texting isn’t that efficient in certain situations, like when you wanna have a heartfelt conversation or you need to convey some really important information. As I said earlier, texting has a lot of informality and so isn’t really useful in these situations.
So, in conclusion, texting is great but there are times when it isn’t that great. I’m sorry, that was a terrible summary but that’s the only thing I can think of 😂.
This is probably the longest post I’ve written. Yay!!! I’m a writer now!! Okay, no, that was a joke. But seriously, if you’ve read this far, thank you!!! I appreciate it a lot. If you have any post suggestions, do lmk.
Bye!
