I'll have my people text your people

While reading my trusty edition of the Metro yesterday, I had to laugh when I came across an interesting opinion blurb.  In The Tricky Etiquette of Text Messages, Eve. C. Taylor rants about men today using text messaging to replace the hassle of picking up the phone to ask a girl to dinner or end a relationship.  I recall how I too have had several conversations with my girlfriends about situations just like these, and how we all took an unofficial vow to never settle for a date with someone who couldn’t find the time—or decency—to make a phone call, the main function of the device in the first place.

The comfort of knowing I was not alone in dealing with this lack of proper communication, a result of modern technology, got me thinking—where else do we substitute personal contact for an easy and less personable means of exchange?  Whether instant messaging a coworker in the next cubicle to get lunch or simply sending your boss an email rather than walking the extra 20 feet down the hall, it seems as though we, myself included, have gotten lazy.  It’s true, emails and text messages save time by reducing the unrelated chit-chat to keep things to the point—but what do we lose for this gain in time?  Does employee bonding and loyalty suffer in the long run because people feel isolated?  Is customer satisfaction reduced because they feel that they are speaking with a computer rather than an actual person?  What do you think?

It’s important to remember that even with time-saving technology, nothing replaces the effectiveness of actual human contact, especially when it comes to dealing with clients.  Although this technology takes away from interaction, it can still be an effective tool for marketing and advertising in a texting-crazed world.  Read this recent study in the S&MM Pulse to find out how Mobile Devices Raise the Bar.

Comments

It's not just about laziness, but about using a nonconfrontational communication medium. For the men (probably some women too) who ask people out or dump them in text messages, it's fear of rejection or saying difficult things to someone's face that makes the SMS a wuss's favorite way to communicate. At the office, it can be about fear, convenience, or wanting to give the recipient time to think about their reply.