What’s your communication preference?
Linda Sappington, Valley Journal Editor
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Stop and think how our options to communicate have changed in the past 20 years. In 1994, assuming you were alive and talking, when you wanted to speak to someone, what did you do?
If a friend wasn’t within walking distance, you most likely picked up the phone and called them. Your other option was to write a letter.
In 1994 the World Wide Web had been open to the public for three years, yet the masses had not yet fully embraced its impact. (Remember when the Web was called the “Information Superhighway?”)
Email was in its infantile stages, and Facebook wouldn’t become a social media phenomenon until 10 years later. The term social media had not even been coined.
So, you dialed a number, you talked, you resolved, you concluded, and the conversation included immediate feedback.
But today, it’s wise to learn a friend’s communication preference.
Do they bare their soul on Facebook and expect an answer? Do they text copiously and relentlessly? Do they tweet on Twitter, expecting nothing in return? Do they email? Do they chat? Do they instant message? Do they blog? Do they Facetime or Sykpe? Do they Instagram?
The plethora of choices leaves me reeling and feeling as if I can never keep up. All forms interrupt and beg to be dealt with immediately. This makes me want to stop it all.
Well, maybe not Facetime and Skype. They do make me feel as if I am with far-away family. And maybe not email, because I’d likely lose my job. Facebook? Maybe I could just stalk great photos.
Maybe what I want is a good old-fashioned phone call. Or better yet, trade Facetime for face-to-face time over a cup of coffee.
That’s my communication preference.
