Call, Text, or Email? Which would you do?

United States
October 29, 2009 10:40pm CST
At one time, if you wanted to talk to someone, you would do it face to face. Then with the emergence of email, face to face conversations seemed to dwindle. Then came cell phones and text messaging. If you had to ask someone a question, and you could either call, text, or email them, which would you do and why? Has conventional face to face conversations become outdated so to speak? It seems everyone would rather find other means of communication.
16 responses
@zhangfzoe (432)
• China
31 Oct 09
I like to communicate with text message on istant communication tool.And MSN and Skype and so on, you can use them to see the one you contact if you have the webcam.
• United States
31 Oct 09
Webcam, didn't even think of that one. That's a whole new level because it is like talking in person with the visual and on the phone because its telecommunication. Interesting, thanks for adding that to the discussion!
@Gesusdid (1676)
• United States
30 Oct 09
Texting WAS suppose to be for short conversations , but NOW you have people who cant carry an entire conversation IN PERSON , thats sad , thats really sad , like for example i tend to run into and meet alot of women, and i talk and make em laugh , sure we get giggles on the text , BUT when it comes to the actual phone call conversation , its lack luster , idk if thats just me , but if im great at carrying a conversation , in all aspects text , personal , and phone call , then sumthing gotta be wrong with these boring women lol and that was just my perspective , but the world really needs to change and embrace eachother instead of a button and symbols
• United States
30 Oct 09
You kind of hit on a deeper question within the questions. Have these technologies hurt in person communication skills of the people that use them? Sure people can function in both aspects of it, but it seems to me that more people are having trouble with the in person communication skills and are falling back on these technologies to communicate more and more.
• Philippines
30 Oct 09
Text massaging for me almost all the time.... calls are for emergencies only... emails no really for some purposes only but not for keeping in touch with friends and relatives... we rather chat ^^V
@nawanta (328)
• Indonesia
30 Oct 09
Text message is the most efficient way..
@lindiebiz (1006)
• Canada
31 Oct 09
i dont think face to face conversation is outdated but with the invention of email and phones have made communication a lot easier and convinient. However, i prefare calling on the phone because it is closest to a face to face conversation
@nijolechu (1842)
• Canada
30 Oct 09
I guess people nowadays don't have a ton of face to face meetings. It just seems that in this stress filled world people are always on the go and don't have time to chat one on one anymore. I just like to text because my provider doesn't care how many text messages I make but they charge more if I made calls.
• United States
30 Oct 09
in some ways calling is better then text cause then you can hear the tone of the other person but for like quick messages texting is great, and emails are al right but id prefer either texting or calling
@peavey (16936)
• United States
30 Oct 09
I much prefer email because if the person is busy, I won't be intruding and s/he can respond whenever there is opportunity. Of course, if it was my sister, I'd have to call her because she never answers her email! I think face to face communication has become outdated also because so many people are busy and it takes time to go to see someone.
@JIMBOH (62)
30 Oct 09
I prefer to call other people when I can. There are times when I am work that texting is just easier and less noisy. I also have a couple of friends that won't answer their phone so the only way to contact them is by text.
@sender621 (14894)
• United States
30 Oct 09
If I really wanted to talk to a person, I would call on the telephone. If I only needed to get a message sent, it would be email. I don't text that often so that would probably not be my choice.
• United States
30 Oct 09
I think it depends on the situation. I don't live close to my family so I have to either call or email them. If its my grandparents I call them but usually my bestfriend I just text her. Me and my mother always call each other though. I would naturally prefer to talk to someone person to person but thats not always possibly. I'm not an email kind of person.
@bluray (408)
• Singapore
30 Oct 09
It depends on the situation and the urgency of the state.I the timing are odd to call and my concern is little ,I will rather text and wait for the reply,so as not to disturb others at such time.If the question is really a serious one I will try to call and will not wait for the sms .e mail is the last resort since we usually done check mails every another hour.
• Indonesia
30 Oct 09
I think the method used in communication depends on the distance, for me at least, and technology is to make distance irrelevant, but if i have to choose which communication method i had to use then i will use text because it is cheaper.
@DivaGirl (44)
• Canada
30 Oct 09
E-mail,(because I love having a record of the conversation) then call, then text...for the longest time texting was this great mystery to me, but I'm starting to figure out what all the crazy abbreviations mean!
• United States
30 Oct 09
It really does depend on the situation. At work it's all phone and email... but at home it depends on what I have to say... all news (good and bad) is face to face. Quick questions are texting.... then of course there are those phone calls just to see how someone it doing!
• Philippines
30 Oct 09
it depends.. if i'm at work, i do call and send email as well. if i'm missing my boyfriend, i call and text him.. but if i really get mad at him when he is not answering my calls, i do everything to get his attention.lol i sent him spam text messages so his phone would freeze.lol
• Canada
30 Oct 09
I'm pretty shy and quiet, so I prefer to email people (or MSN, which is like a combination of texting and emailing (=p)). Emailing allows me to better express myself and give me time to really think about what I'm saying. If I really have to get a hold of the person for an emergency or some other important reason, then I would call. I get tongue-tied when I talk to people over the phone, so doing that is a last option for me.