Social Question

jca2's avatar

Do you like talking on the phone?

Asked by jca2 (16252points) January 6th, 2023
15 responses
“Great Question” (1points)

I’m not talking about calling customer service or calling to make appointments, or other business purposes, I’m referring to talking to friends, casual chats, long chats.

I don’t really care to talk on the phone for long periods, because I think of it as time lost that I could be doing other things. I prefer to text, but some friends will call now and then and I recognize that calls are more chummy than texting and sometimes, if there’s a lot of information to discuss, talking is easier than texting.

What about you? Do you like talking on the phone?

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Answers

KNOWITALL's avatar

No, never have been. My whole family of chatty-Cathy’s can’t stand it. Luckily we are on a group chat now.

Hawaii_Jake's avatar

I like it sometimes. I’m talking to a man now, exploring whether or not there might be compatibility for dating. It’s definitely easier to do that in a conversation than through text.

I enjoy phone calls with my children a lot. We have regular family video chats on holidays.

kritiper's avatar

I take only enough time to get my point across, or the business taken care of. Too long and my ear starts to hurt.

Blackberry's avatar

Yea definitely, but it’s more in theory than in person. A lot of people are just busy/tired. I’m 3 hours ahead of all my friends and family which causes issues as well.

We have text group chats, so we’re still in constant contact, though. We all come together laughing at memes and such.

The most recent laugh session was Drake posting a picture of himself in bed with a bonnet on his head.

SnipSnip's avatar

Yes, I prefer to talk on the phone. I refuse to text but do email sometimes. People don’t seem to realize what is being lost by this “I rather text” mentality. Children are growing up unable to interact with people. There is plenty to read about this by noted behavioral scientists. Bottom line is when you write, write correctly, and talk to people rather than write to them as much as possible.

canidmajor's avatar

I love it. A number of my closer friends live far enough away that staying connected, especially without much travel in recent years, has been almost exclusively on the phone. I love a good gab!

gondwanalon's avatar

I’ve heard that 60–70% of communication is none verbal. That’s probably why I use get in trouble talking on the phone at work (in a hospital lab). Nurses and doctors said that I sound mad and terse. But I was never mad. I was just highly focused on getting things done. My boss told me to talk “warm and fuzzy”. I didn’t have time for warm and fuzzy or asking, “How’s it going?” and other small talk. I needed to quickly get to why they are calling and what do they want so I can help them so I could get back to work (and I always had a big pile of work).

I never had nurse or doctor complain about my attitude when they came to me in person for specimen results. There’s something about talking on the phone that I can’t seem to master.

jca2's avatar

@gondwanalon Sometimes, just your tone – making it sound warmer, and less “bland” and more enthusiastic, and also saying hi to the caller gives the impression that you’re “warm and fuzzy.” “Hi John!” Not even asking how the person is doing, although that’s a nicety, but just saying “Hi and their name in a happy tone can be give the impression that you’re warm and friendly.

Jeruba's avatar

No, not at all, even way back to high school days when everyone talked to their friends on the phone every night. People called me, but I never called them. Now, I virtually never use the phone for chatty conversations.

Why? It makes me feel crowded. They’re right in my ear. Too close. Also, most people seem unable to tolerate any silence, so if I pause for a thought, they jump in. And so much of chat is simply vacuous.

Also important: the nonverbal components. Leaving out all the visuals makes me feel not only deprived but also something like stifled. I’ll opt for in-person whenever possible, even though that’s rarely able to be spontaneous. Last night a friend and I lingered after the end of a Zoom meeting (thanks to the host), and that was fine because I could see her.

I do recognize that I’m more at ease writing than many and that text or email is very cumbersome for certain types of exchanges, so of course I make exceptions.

RayaHope's avatar

This is a complicated question to me because I like to text friends because I already know how they are and think. But I also like to text someone I don’t know because I don’t know them so I feel I want to keep a little anonymity between us until I know more about who they are. But then again I like to talk on the phone if I have some really personal or complicated stuff to talk about. Sometimes it is easier and quicker to just talk especially since I’m dyslexic I can get things messed up sometimes while texting or reading their text.

smudges's avatar

If it’s someone I’m close to – like my sister – I’d rather Skype or at least Facetime because then I feel that we’ve truly connected. I don’t really like texting even though I use the voice microphone and speak rather than type. As far as the phone when I have business to take care of, I hate it and will put it off as long as I can! Right now I have 4 phone calls I should make. :(

Tbag's avatar

I just got off a video call with my sister in law. Call was 1 hour and 12 minutes. Not sure if that counts?

I guess I like talking on the phone because it gives me the opportunity to jabber with my close circle of friends that I do not see as much due to my lifestyle.

Forever_Free's avatar

Yes, with the right person. Additionally, living 1400 miles away from my family since I was 21. It is the only way to stay close outside visiting.

cookieman's avatar

No. I never have. Many moons ago, when my wife and I started dating, I’d chat with her on the phone, before bed. Only lasted a year or so though.

I’d much rather chit chat with someone in person.

Dutchess_III's avatar

In the 70s and 80s I did. In the 90s Rick and I communicated by phone often, before we hooked up in 2002.

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