First off, let me say that I did still email for work. If I wanted to keep my job I was going to have to be available by email at all times. Second, I did text message my husband one time in an emergency situation, i.e., my diabetic dog needed insulin and food immediately.
OK, here's what I experienced:
Texting...
1. Not texting is terribly inconvenient. I found myself wanting to know something, but not wanting to know it badly enough to stop what I was doing and make a phone call.
2. I felt very disconnected from Kris. We both work long hours, usually opposite from one another, so we text on and off throughout the day. I missed knowing what he was up to.
3. People get pissed off when you call them after they text you. I got several "you've made your point" messages. It kind of hurt my feelings that no one wanted to talk to me.
4. No one cared that I wasn't texting. People kept right on texting me and expecting me to text back.
5. No one understood why I wasn't texting for 2 weeks. It was as if face-to-face or voice-to-voice communication was something to be frowned upon. I found that disturbingly odd.
6. Texting is really more of a habit. I had to consciously think about not picking up my phone & sending a text.
7. I felt more centered and in control of my expression of thought.
Emailing...
1. This was really no big deal, I did not find it difficult at all.
2. Email is really only relevant in the business world.
3. Text is the new email.
Although I had a terrible time making people understand why I wanted to do this little experiment, I'm glad I did it. I do not believe technology is a bad thing, but I do believe it's taken over parts of our lives that are better left alone. Not every thought needs to be expressed, and thoughts worth expressing are probably better expressed in a more meaningful way.
What do you think? Could you do it?
I think it's a great idea! I deleted facebook for a week and never felt better.
ReplyDelete-Ash
www.thestylizedwannabe.com
I am so impressed that you did this! Thanks so much for sharing your experience. I hate texting with a passion, but I still do it 100 times a day! As you said, no one seems to want to talk to anyone anymore. If I call a friend these days, they have this tone in their voice like, "Why are you calling me?" because they figure that I'll just text. It is kind of sad really!
ReplyDeleteThe Grass Skirt
I can't even remember the last time I had a conversation with someone on the phone, that wasn't job related! How horrible is that?! Texting has just completely usurped everything.xx
ReplyDelete-Amanda
www.rhymeandribbons.com
I have done both for a 40 day challenge. Let me just say I felt so disconnected with the world. I have no idea what I did before email and text. I guess I used a lot of minutes by talking on the phone every second. However I do feel that my interactions with my family were more meaningful because I did not have the distractions of texting and email. My challenge included all social media so I had no reason to use the computer besides for googling it was hard a first but very freeing.
ReplyDeleteThe Word of A Nerd
I'm honestly not sure I could go 2 days without texting, it's definitely my main form of communication!
ReplyDelete