Suggested topic: Do you prefer to talk, text message, or a different communication method?

Today’s topic suggestion brings us full-frontal into modernity. How do we prefer to communicate: via talk or text? Being back in the “work force” I find this an interesting question, as I can track changes through school and work.

1995 – I was in high school and my good friend got email and Internet for the first time. Also that year, my boyfriend at the time signed up for Hotmail and the aversions against Microsoft continued and capitalized with their acquisition of hotmail, one of the first free email programs.

1996 – I got my first email through Michigan State University: pilot email. It was a text-based email emulator. We could either log into Windows at the computer login, or log into our email.

2000 – I went back to school and every third person had a mobile phone.

2001 – I realize I don’t want to have a home without Internet: must have email access.

2002 – I learned how to do Mail Merges and became an expert at various versions of Microsoft Office, Outlook, Lotus Notes

2004 – I went back to school again and every third person had a laptop, in class.

2005 – I finally got my first mobile phone.

2007 – Probably half of the students in any given class used a laptop for notes, in class, for whatever.

2009 – I added a text messaging plan to my mobile.

So, now I just about max my alotted 250 texts per months. I use fewer than the allowed 450 minutes (although that’s just out of network and prime hours). But, what do I prefer?

It depends on the context.

Are we arranging a quick meet up? Text.

Do I need to explain something, and ITAP (my Verizon auto-fill-text) doesn’t do it? Phone call.

Do I need to explain something but don’t really want a text or a phone call? Email.