3 ms·

I think this is being framed incorrectly. It's not about voice vs text, it's about sync vs async. By default, phone calls (and face-to-face conversations) are

I think this is being framed incorrectly. It's not about voice vs text, it's about sync vs async. By default, phone calls (and face-to-face conversations) are synchronous. You call someone, they have to stop what they're doing and have a conversation in real-time. They also can't judge the importance until they're already interrupted and have started the conversation anyway. Text messages, email, chat and even voicemail are asynchronous. You send a message, the person can respond when able, and likewise. They can also see the initial query, and this can help them decide whether to respond immediately or later. Async communication has the benefit of being able to work synchronously, if you want, but it doesn't have to. You might annoy people by not responding fast enough, but not in the same way that you would if you were to just put down the phone and walk away for a few minutes/hours. I think the real problem is misuse of async vs synchronous styles of communication, and knowing when to switch between them. I personally prefer async communication by default, but if we're going to do near-real-time async anyway, I'd rather have a 5 minute phone call than spend half an hour texting back and forth. I hate unexpected phone calls (and in fact, pretty much don't answer my phone), but I have absolutely no issue with a scheduled call -- that that is usually arranged asynchronously.

michilumin 7y ago
Agree with this 100% - Synchronous (IMO) is best when urgent details need to be exchanged quickly where the importance of certain aspects of reaction can be conveyed,to guide small segments of the conversation. There's an immediate feedback mechanism. For in-depth technical exchanges, where conveying the complete picture is necessary before someone makes a return assessment, async provides better results. But most importantly they differ in how the mind utilizes them.
deleted 7y ago
[deleted]
greggman2 7y ago
My life was better IMO when it was common to call people. We had conventions like voice mail if you were on another call, or saying "now is not a good time" but I talked to way more people. I mean I fully agree with your assessment of async vs sync but conversely I'm less connected to people than I was before. I used to call and chat with friends several times a day. Now almost never. Another way to look at it, maybe at some point some new tech will come out so thet we don't even talk to people in the same house/building/office. I mean why talk to my sister/mom/dad/wife/son/daughter, they might be in the middle of a thought. I should choose some async method and just never talk to another human directly. Of course that's ridiculous but if you had told me in 1995 that I'd talk less than a few hours a year on a phone because everyone just messages each other I'd have thought you were describing a dystpoia. Who's to say some new tech won't take it even further.
copperx 7y ago
In Mexico, it's really common to send voice messages through WhatsApp instead of typing, so that it becomes an async walkie-talkie. It probably has to do with functional literacy rates, because the only people that I know that hate texting are either really slow readers or slow typists.

michilumin 7y ago

Agree with this 100% - Synchronous (IMO) is best when urgent details need to be exchanged quickly where the importance of certain aspects of reaction can be conveyed,to guide small segments of the conversation. There's an immediate feedback mechanism. For in-depth technical exchanges, where conveying the complete picture is necessary before someone makes a return assessment, async provides better results. But most importantly they differ in how the mind utilizes them.

deleted 7y ago

[deleted]

greggman2 7y ago

My life was better IMO when it was common to call people. We had conventions like voice mail if you were on another call, or saying "now is not a good time" but I talked to way more people. I mean I fully agree with your assessment of async vs sync but conversely I'm less connected to people than I was before. I used to call and chat with friends several times a day. Now almost never. Another way to look at it, maybe at some point some new tech will come out so thet we don't even talk to people in the same house/building/office. I mean why talk to my sister/mom/dad/wife/son/daughter, they might be in the middle of a thought. I should choose some async method and just never talk to another human directly. Of course that's ridiculous but if you had told me in 1995 that I'd talk less than a few hours a year on a phone because everyone just messages each other I'd have thought you were describing a dystpoia. Who's to say some new tech won't take it even further.

copperx 7y ago

In Mexico, it's really common to send voice messages through WhatsApp instead of typing, so that it becomes an async walkie-talkie. It probably has to do with functional literacy rates, because the only people that I know that hate texting are either really slow readers or slow typists.