Okay, I'm an old curmudgeon. The nuns at St. Mary's High School in Phoenix, AZ taught me how to type in 1970 through negative reinforcement, i.e. hitting my knuckles with a ruler, pointer or their Crucifixes if they caught me looking at my fingers. It worked like a charm. That's how I learned how to type.
But now, over four decades later, I am being forced into typing with one finger at a time if I want to communicate with people who choose to text instead of type or call.
I don't get it. Wait, that's not true. I get it but I don't like it and feel animosity toward people who know I don't like texting yet choose to text me anyway.
Am I the jerk? Or are they the as*%oles?
I am my father's son, and Pop was a depression baby who was as logical and non-emotional as Spock.
And my logic regarding texting is as simple as my Dad was. If the text message being sent, in either direction, requires more than seven (a local call) or 10 (a long distance call) keystrokes, why not call instead?
I understand there are perfectly valid reasons for texting. If my wife or a friend wants to provide one way information, i.e. no response is necessary, then text away.
Or if they are in an environment where speaking by phone is impossible or unacceptable, by all means, please text me with information that is neccessary instead of not texting me and placing me, or them, or someone else at risk of inconvenience at best, danger at worst.
I have 10 fingers and they work beautifully on a QWERTY keyboard.
Texting means I am using one or two fingers. And I need extra keystrokes to use caps, numbers and/or puncuation.
Where's the benefit?
What's the advantage?
If there is an advantage, is it mutual?
More background: I was raised by a Southern Belle from Mississipi who taught me courtesy, respect and gentlemanly behavior. She taught me about writing keeping-in-touch letters and thank-you notes for birthday, Christmas and graduation presents as did the sadistic Nuns I suffered with for a full 12 years.
So now technology has produced a means to communicate via a mobile device that, unfortunately, has a keyboard too small for 10 fingers. Yes, there are apps that let you go from letter to letter, creating words and sentences easier than if you touch one letter at a time ... but there's no way its easier to text on a mobile device than type on a laptop.
And I am usually on my laptop.
When I was a Boy Scout I learned both semaphore (communicating via flags) and morse code. I didn't want to know either but I was driven to get merit badges toward moving from 1st Class to Star to Heart to Eagle ... although I didn't make Eagle Scout status as puberty completely changed my priorities. And yes, that's another story.
But as far as I am concerned, texting is a labor-intensive procedure. It's like using semaphore or morse code instead of making a phone call.
I don't get it.
And I especially don't get friends, relatives and others who KNOW I don't like to text but choose to text me anyway.
Especially when those people are usually sitting in front of a computer, responding to others via email ... but choose to text me instead.
I know full well that they have to to expend more effort to text me than it would take to send me an email or call me.
I don't get it.
Many of my friends are right wing zealots (a condition that was never revealed until America elected a black President) and they know I am a progressive who completely disagrees with most of their FOX talking points, so we simply do not discuss politics.
Why can't people who know how I feel about texting vs. email or phone calls grant me the same consideration?
I have a friend who has an old cell phone that requires him to click through ABC, DEF, EFT, etc. in order to send a message. I congratulate him on his developed skills but I still don't understand.
Why not just call? Especially when those who know me understand that I am not a 'chatter' who likes to talk just to talk.
Same-society humans developed languages so they could speak. Technology advanced so humans could communicate via signals sent via reflective surfaces, smoke, over a wire and then, miraculously, to a point where people could actually talk to each when far apart.
What's the rationale for regression? Why do so many believe its better to revert to dot dot dot dash -type inputs instead of dialing a number and then talking?
I don't get it.