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Texting and Writing

Does anyone write letters anymore?

By Christina DeFeoPublished 3 years ago 5 min read
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Texting and Writing
Photo by Tom Rogerson on Unsplash

The way we communicate in 2021 has significantly changed from 50, 60, 70 years ago. We are in the age of technology; the beginning of those advanced futuristic movies that we never get to see, the calm inventing and advancing before the technological storm. For a writer, like myself, who best expresses herself through writing, the age of texting is welcomed. If I get into an argument, please give me a moment while I go outline my main point and sub arguments before I hit send. I am constantly going over in my head things I’ve said and resaying them in a million different combinations wishing I had more time to think my answers through and say something differently. If I take too long to respond to a message, it’s very safe to assume I am rough drafting my response and it’s being edited before publishing.

Texting allows you to do just that. Granted some texts warrant immediate responses and those get it especially if the answer is a simple yes or no, but attempt to call me and 85% of the time I will not answer. No shame in my no answer game, but talking sometimes feels like a chore that I choose to ignore for as long as possible. Don’t get me wrong, I love verbal conversation and perceiving body language and tone, but to do it while physically on the phone is too consuming of my attention at once. It’s hard for me to multitask while on the phone, I cannot listen properly and am unable to give my full attention if more than one thing is happening. Add being on the phone for work (medical insurance authorizations) and you will never want to take a personal call again!

Writing is something I feel most comfortable doing and it feels so natural compared to phone conversation. So of course, I would prefer texting over calling. You have my full attention when I am sending a text and you will receive the most thought out response. Texting also has its advantages because conversations last longer, can pick up hours later if someone gets busy, and people will always respond to a text eventually. Before texting, there was note passing during classes, love letters, pen pals, and letter writing to family. Now it's texting, emailing, Facebook Messenger, a DM, comment, or post. I participated in all of them. I have always loved to write. It is the best form of expression for me and I am good at story telling. Does anyone still write letters?

The age of social media is affecting the structure of texting. Social media is setting expectations when it comes to messaging allowing users to know each other's last online status. A person can see when you’re active on social media granting them the knowledge if you’re ignoring their text, but for me, it wouldn’t be ignoring. I am most likely brainstorming and/or revising my response. Syntax is important when it comes to my writing; every word is carefully chosen, sentences thought out and rewritten in many different ways. My texting bubbles are famous for disappearing and reappearing (my iPhone people understand). Take all that as a compliment as I value how my words come across to you, always giving you my best responses.

Texting does have it down side and a lot of messages are misinterpreted. The popular LOL acronym is famously put at the end of sarcastic, offensive messages now to lighten it up. Some messages are taken as hostile that were meant to be straightforward and honest. Sometimes if you take too long to respond or respond too quickly can be misinterpreted as well. Writers recognized the unspoken rules of texting from the beginning. We were the ones who wrote proper, used periods and questions, and never abbreviated; all things rejected in the very beginning of texting.

Nokia flip phone

I am so old, I had to pay per text when texting was first introduced ($0.10 a message) When cell phones first came out, texting was not immediately an option either. My first cell phone was at the age of 18, so texting was already popular, but you still had to pay for it, so I wasn’t just texting anybody and everybody. We also had flip phones (Nokia’s) and there were 3 letters to every button making you have to press the number two, three times if you wanted the letter ‘c’ and the number nine four times if you wanted the letter ‘z’. Text messaging advanced like all technology does and walkie talkies were added to our flip phones (Nextel), we gained Sidekicks, the phone where the screen flipped and we had a mini keyboard, a big old thing when I see it now.

Sidekick

Blackberries became popular then too. My choice of phones were a Nokia, then a Nextel, and I had a Nextel up until 2008 when I got the iPhone 3G. The iPhone enhanced the way I communicated and I have been #TeamiPhone ever since.

Nextel

There was definitely no iMessaging when the iPhone first came out, iMessaging is a later feature in their software updates and a great one at that. Group messages, notes, and memos can all be shared with other iPhones making communicating easier and more efficient. I write notes, itineraries, invitations and share it with my family at once instead of having to send individual messages. I am able to edit and they see the update instantly and editing is a very important tool for me as well.

iPhone 3G

I now walk around with the iPhone XR and I wouldn't trade it for an Android any day. Even though I have heard that some of the iPhone newer features are some that already existed with Android users like swiping your letters of the keyboard when messaging. That is the only one I know personally and that is because I love it so much and always wished the iPhone had it and low and behold the iPhone gods heard me and granted me my request. Also if you have multiple Apple devices, you can sync them to receive all the same information on each one, securing back up and assisting in parental controls when it comes to children. All in all, I am grateful to have a passion like writing because writing can never be taken away. As long as technology keeps evolving our forms of communication, a writer's creativity will continue to rise to the next level.

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About the Creator

Christina DeFeo

A mom looking to express and lose herself in some imagination.

Facebook: @TinaChrisTheBookkeeper

Instagram @TinaChris_thewriter

Want to join Vocal+? Use this link to get started https://vocal.media/vocal-plus?via=christina-defeo

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