In the 1980’s when Blondie wrote, “one way or another, I’m gonna find you, I’m gonna getcha getcha getcha getcha…,” she must have been peeking into the future!
Between cell phones, emails, instant messages, twitter and Facebook, there’s nowhere to hide. If someone wants to find you, and talk with you, they will find you.
Do you remember the first cell phone? No one ever thought these huge phones that resembled a loaf of bread would ever catch on. I remember my mother used to say, “how can something be that important that you can’t wait to call the person at home or in the office.” If it were an emergency or something urgent, you used the pay phone that appeared on every corner of every street.
Today, not too many people use the pay phone anymore. It’s common to see every other person on the street, especially in Manhattan, talking to himself because he’s on either a cell phone, Blackberry, or Ipod.
This morning, I was talking with my husband about ways in which we communicate. “I really don’t like it when you call my cell phone, especially during the day,” he told me. “You usually call me and I’m in the middle of something.”
“How should I communicate with you?” I said.
“Send me an email. That’s the best way,” he answered. “I’ll open it when I have the time to open it and it’s not intrusive like everything else.”
“I wish you would use instant message,” I said. “It would be so much easier. Or, at the very least, use text messages.”
“Forget it,” he said.
But today, talk to anyone younger than 40 and you’ll find that text messaging, instant messaging and Facebook are the preferred use of communications.
My Aunt Ann says she always tries to get me. She calls me on my house phone, my work phone and my cell phone and still can’t get me. But has she ever tried IM or email?
The best way to get me is probably either email, IM or Facebook. I’m also on Twitter and some other social networking sites. What I like most about instant message is that it’s quicker, faster and in real time. There are no hour-long conversations like in the past, you say what needs to be said and you move on….
How do you prefer to communicate?
