Q: Why is text messaging stupid?
Q: I intuitively know that text messaging is a shitty way to communicate. But why?
A: It's complicated.
(edited and reposted from a comment I wrote here at
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A: It's complicated.
(edited and reposted from a comment I wrote here at
( Read more... )
Where do lj comments fit into the scheme of things, do you think? May seem a height of dorkdom, but I use these boxes as a major form of communication. 1) So many people I know are here, including a) my girlfriend and b) one of my best friends; 2) they're left in topical places, keeping them relevant; 3) they're fairly permanent and can be referenced. Plus we can have pretty pictures.
Man, I don't like using cell phones at all, and I don't like talking to people face-to-face. I'll write like a fool motherfucker all day, but fuck a phone call, too, you know? Seems we're all drastically different and/or extremely righteous in here. Which is fine, because nobody's wrong that way, check out our new govt., word, everybody wins!
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Yes, some people are more COMFORTABLE with alternating monologues. They're good for making some people more COMFORTABLE. But they don't make for better COMMUNICATION.
Commenting is weird because it is a really constricted form of communication -- It's really more like alternating bloggery than anything else, or like shouting into your cellphone on a crowded train. (If you think it's a substitute for real conversation, imagine breaking up with someone over LJ comments.)
Again, I am not saying that any medium is bad, or useless! Nor am I judging people who employ any medium. Just that, as I originally stated, the quality of communication is improved by using the highest-bitrate medium available in a given situation.
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then again, i am convinced of a mild social autism & have terrible housekeeping skills, so.
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Yeah man, we wouldn't be letting people in either! Potential visitors have to clear that stuff days in advance. Housekeeping has little to do with it, I think, at least in our case. Sure is nice to be in control of who comes, goes + stays, we say!
Here are my communication methods ratings (1-10, 10 is best):
lj comments - 10 (alternating monologues are dope)
email - 9
handwritten notes - 9
handwritten letters - 8
IM - 8
talking on the phone - 5 (depends on the person, though)
talking in person - 3
social networking sites - 2
Outlook-type work calendars - 2
phone texting - 1 (I don't have a cell)
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Whenever someone defends use of a lower-bitrate method of communication in a context that allows a higher-bitrate method, the argument is almost always about fear and control. I never suggested that high-bitrate methods were more comfortable -- just more efficient. Which I'll admit is tautological. But I'm further saying that the conveniences offered by lower-bitrate methods are outweighed by the negative effects of the loss of bits.
Does anyone disagree with that?
PS: I have a great respect for the fear of loss of control. I lived inside that fear for way longer than I'd care to admit, and it was terrifying. But in my experience, keeping that tight control led inexorably to a world of misery. That sounds vague, I know. But if you talk to me in person sometime, I will be able to explain it MUCH BETTER.
Basically, we evolved over millions of years to communicate in person. As animals, we
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But with written communication, I'm articulate, well-spoken (-written), persuasive and funny. Take away my pen and I'm a wreck! And I'm not looking to change, either, because there's nothing wrong with me. I have the kind of job that allows for hunker-down, hermetic isolation, and that's just fine with me. Plus, I'm not looking to make new friends. Life is grand!
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Please remember the permanant caveat of my LiveJournal writings, which goes something like:
DISCLAIMER: the above is not necessarily true or practical for people who are very mentally ill, or who have other extreme external factors (war, abuse, poverty, addiction) all up in their grillz.
In fact, I'll just add it to this post too.
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Such things are necessary for modern communication, I guess, but I prefer a big old sloppy wall calendar.
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