Calling is the New Stopping By
I’m not a big fan of talking on the telephone. I spend about 50% of my day at work on phone calls. By the end of the day, I’d rather be next to someone than have a phone against my ear. I dislike the sound of a ringing phone and often have calls silenced. E-mails and text messages make the smallest of blips.
I actually don’t speak with almost anyone on the phone other than my family and some very good friends. Even then, I often choose not to answer the phone. I forget that not everyone is like this until I hear the sound of someone’s phone ringing and I instantly get a confused look. My communication with most people is done via IM or text message.
That’s right. Apparently I’ve entered some sort of friendship blackhole in which relationships are advanced without the troublesome, hampering need to actually see someone face to face. I’m being rather tongue in cheek there. But you get my point.
The other day, I was discussing something with Sitcom and I said, “Hey, you free right now? I’m going to call you.” She said, “Sure!”
And I realized something. Remember when people would just stop by someone else’s place? The general rule was that you called first. You call before you stop by. Now? Now I text before calling someone.
What the hell?
Calling is the new stopping by.
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Just a random attorney writing about daily life with Little Filthy, my rotten dog.
January 26th, 2010 at 10:13 pm
That’s one of the things I hate about being in “hiding” from my Ex and his family. I’ve moved way out in the boonies and nobody is allowed to know where my house is…hence a sharp decline in the “stopping by”. I miss having visitors over for dinner. I miss having my best friend just drop by because it’s Sunday and she wants to watch tv for awhile.
One day I’ll have the guts to let people know where I live, but not for a long time. Keeping my kids safe > my social life.
January 26th, 2010 at 10:15 pm
Tiffany, you’re quite brave. And a fantastic mom. We’ll meet up for eyeball pictures.
-R.
January 26th, 2010 at 10:22 pm
I think they’ve gone from dark brown to black. I haven’t looked at my eyes closely in a long time. You can barely differenciate the iris from the pupil now – but yes we have to get together the next time you to travel up north
January 26th, 2010 at 10:26 pm
I do the pre-phone call text as well. It’s like reverse call screening.
January 27th, 2010 at 6:48 am
Anytime I call someone on the phone I feel a twinge of guilt for :interrupting” their life without warning. I always ask- first thing- “Is this a good time? I can call back later if you’re busy.” I just know from my own experience, that most times my phone rings, my reaction is: “Oh man, now I’ve got to talk to someone.” It’s true. Calling is the new stopping by.
January 27th, 2010 at 7:59 am
Um I should have read this post before emailing you back. Because instead of explaining how I live in a cave and have no social skills, I could have just said, ditto your post.
January 27th, 2010 at 11:50 am
What the hell indeed. Most of my communication is done by text and I really had to think for a moment…I actually text before I call someone too.
January 27th, 2010 at 12:52 pm
I hate talking on the phone, phone is always on silent or conveniently left at home, do all my communication via email, IM or text. My friends are quite annoyed by my strange habit.
January 27th, 2010 at 1:37 pm
I had this exact conversation last night with my friends over dinner. Talking on the phone “just to chat” has become a lost art – a lost art that I’m totally OK with being lost.
However, at the same time, I find myself losing touch with friends who work in environments not conducive to gchat/aim/texting, ie: doctors, physical therapists, teachers, etc.
I hate talking on the phone as well. DILEMMA.
January 27th, 2010 at 3:31 pm
i have Anxiety around the phone, so i’m MORE THAN HAPPY to have society evolve into texting / gchatting / emailing as our primary means of long distance communication
January 27th, 2010 at 4:07 pm
You and I are a LOT alike. I hate talking on the phone. Hell, I talk more to you in these comments than I do to my friends on the phone.
That’s sad, actually…
January 27th, 2010 at 6:04 pm
Hey CBG, You usually don’t object to phone sex, though.
heh.
January 27th, 2010 at 9:18 pm
^ Oops!! Hahaha!
I don’t like talking on the phone much either, and apparently, because I’m a girl, that’s not normal. I’d MUCH rather text away all day than have a 30-minute conversation with someone. It’s just… awkward for some reason. And birthday calls are the worst! I usually don’t have much more to say than ‘Happy Birthday’ so I end up having to pull stuff out of my ass just to scrape a few minutes on the phone. It’s horrible.
Texts I can ignore and get back to when I feel like it. I heart them. HEART them.
January 27th, 2010 at 9:45 pm
I love talking on the phone, I would rather talk on the phone then text. Most of the time what I want to say can be said in less then a minute over the phone but would take too many messages.