Text or Voicemail?
“Texting is a brilliant way to miscommunicate how you feel and misinterpret what other people mean.”
As I drove to work, I listened to the Elvis Duran and the Morning Show — my usual routine. The topic? Do you prefer to receive a text or a voicemail?
Everyone, except for Skeery Jones, preferred texts. Even the listeners. Most folks do not even listen to their voicemails before deleting them. I conducted my own little survey on Facebook and got the same results. This made me a little sad.
I actually do like texts. A lot. But I also like phone calls and voicemails. An actual phone call or voicemail takes a little more effort than shooting off a quick text. To me, a voicemail is a little more personal.
Last month, I celebrated my birthday. Friends and family reached out to me via all types of avenues, including Facebook posts, private Facebook messages, IMs, email, texts, voicemail, phone calls, and mail (cards and presents). Other friends spent time with me either painting, taking me out to eat, or both. I loved all of the attention I received.
I have many friends all over the world. Of course, they could not physically be with me to celebrate my birthday. I have to admit, I loved hearing old friends’ voices in my voicemail box. Yes, I loved my text messages, too. But listening to my friends’ voices also made me feel special. I know they put in a little extra effort to make my day memorable.
Am I knocking texts? Absolutely not. I may not be able to pick up the phone in the middle of the day to listen to a voicemail, whereas I can quickly and easily scan my phone for a text. I may not be able to place a phone call, but I can easily shoot off a text. I may need directions, an address, or other pertinent information that I would prefer to receive in a text. Surprise texts are also super fun to receive. They let me know someone is thinking of me even though he or she cannot call me at the moment. And, I can easily respond even though I may not be able to talk or even want to talk. And sometimes listening to voicemail can take time, especially when the person goes on and on about nothing.
However, every once and awhile I enjoy listening to an old friend’s voice. Hearing someone sing happy birthday to you in a voicemail can be such a wonderful feeling. Sure, I enjoy seeing the happy birthday song pop up in my text messages, but hearing it sung is just a little more touching. I want to hear the smile in your voice, and the text loses that tone.
What do you prefer — text or voicemail? Why?
