Regarding personal preferences, let’s say there is a group of 4 people who communicate fairly regularly. But they each have their own personal preferences and they’ve decided to let others know how they want to communicate.
Person 1: I hate voicemail, I don’t want to listen to tedious, unnecessary messages and I hate the process I have to go theu to retrieve messages which are usually a waste of my time anyway.
Person 2: I hate email. Leave me a voice mail because I don’t do email. I also hate talking on the phone.
Person 3: I prefer texting. I hate voice mail and email. Send me a text message if you want to tell/ask me something. I’ll also reply via text so you better check your text messages regularly.
Person 4: I hate texting, voice mail, and email. I want to talk to a live person on the telephone, but I’m not available between 5 – 7 weeknights and my Saturdays are so busy.
So………. (in addition to living a life) everyone is supposed to keep track of all these personal preferences OR they can just say forget it and start scratching names off the list of people they communicate with? REALLY?
Unless these are co-workers who have to put up with each other's methods of communication, I honestly don't see how these are "a group of 4 people who communicate fairly regularly". And if they are co-workers, well at work, you suck it up and you communicate as your employer instructs you to, even if its a method you hate.
My best friend and I are so close because we communicate similarly. My DH and I worked as a couple because we communicate similarly. The family members I have who communicate similarly to me are the ones I'm closest to these days, even if 15-20 years ago things might have been different.
I have friends and family who are phone people, and i don't shun them or hate them or anything. But the reality is I am not. I don't use VM and I don't initial calls (or leave VMs) unless I have no other choice. So I end up not being as close to the phone folks. And its not just because of me, on my end. They all have computers and as far as I know they all have texting. They are also choosing to not text, use email, or use Facebook messenger, just as much as I'm choosing to not use phoning & VM. And the reality is the re
lationships begin to fade a bit or they never really form well to begin with.
And the reality is I do use plenty of forms of communication regularly. I check my email multiple times a day, from my computer or from my cell, I also check my Facebook at least once if not 4 times a day, from my computer or via my cell - and I can check from any internet connected computer really. I check my cell daily, usually a few times. And I will answer my phone if i hear it ringing and I'm available to speak. So its not like its hard to get a hold of me, to get me a message or to get an answer from me, or have a chat with me despite me not using VM. So if someone insisted on using VM, despite my outgoing message asking to please not leave one, and despite the fact that it usually takes me days to listen to the VM if I do at all (I would probably just call back "I saw I missed your call, whats up?"), then yeah, messages will get lost and the friendship won't thrive. In some ways its sad, but in others it just practical.
