SHOW DESCRIPTION

The idea of this episode was based on a conversation that Rohit had with his long-time friend, Tananda Richarson.

The way we communicate says a lot about who we are and what we think of those we are communicating with. Our emails, text messages, and phone calls are used to communicate for work, information gathering, and sharing with our friends and family. The invention of the smartphone made communications quick and simple in a device that we can hold in the palm of our hands and carry everywhere we go.

Slowly our communications have evolved to be more text-based and less direct voice communications. We say it is all for convenience but is it really? When you reach out to your family in a text, are you trying to avoid a conversation? Texts are great for quick updates, but are we texting out full conversations? Why? It is convenient for us because we can communicate on our terms. We can respond when we feel like it or we can ignore messages if we choose. What we end up doing is avoiding commitment to a real conversation.

Ever have a friend text you, and then not answer the phone when you call them right back a minute later? It annoys us because we know they wanted to talk to us, but it feels now that we aren’t important enough to talk to directly. That may not always be true, but that is the reason many of us have fallen into the trap of communicating solely by text. If we really are trying to maintain or build a strong relationship, our communication needs to also be strong. Text is great for quick updates but fails to express emotion or convey meaning. Often our texts can get misconstrued causing confusion or hurt feelings because they feel impersonal. Our voices can express more than words on a screen ever could.

Personally, I prefer to communicate through phone calls with my friends. It builds a deeper connection with that person and provides a better understanding between us. Another benefit is it doesn’t keep me on hold all day for a reply. I could be holding up my schedule for a reply from someone replying via text. A phone call can get an entire conversation out in minutes where a text conversation could take all day to complete based on the feelings of the person on each side of the conversation.

Take the time to reach out and talk to someone. Don’t take the cheap way out of a conversation commitment by texting. If you truly care about someone, call them and speak with them. You will find a better appreciation of your friendships and relationships in doing so.