"Emails get reactions. Phone calls start conversations."
- Simon Sinek
When I think about a communication modality I use often, voice call comes to mind. I have a love-hate relationship with communicating using my telephone at all. I tend to forget about returning emails and replying to text messages. While I would like to believe my reason for "forgetting" to respond is because I forgot, I have recently come to the unfortunate conclusion that it is because I do not want to. I do not mean this is in a malicious sense like ghosting or screening someone's messages. I do not want to because there are no immediate consequences to my actions of not responding immediately. To elaborate, so I do not come off as mean and insensitive, I will break down my process upon receiving a text message or email.
A text message or email notification appears on the screen of my cellphone or computer.
I read the brief description of said notification.
I understand the message's purpose and reasoning.
I evaluate the message's importance to determine if an immediate response is needed.
Little did I know that every time I complete this process, I am conducting a rhetorical analysis. It may not be a formal or thorough rhetorical analysis, but it has the general idea of the concept. Upon receiving a message, I already have questions prepared to break down the context and purpose.
To break down my preference for voice calling, I will list all the possible reasons for this.
There is no wait time when it comes to responses.
There is no confusion regarding the feeling or context of the message.
Having the chance to hear someone's voice and see how they are doing.
My "forgetfulness" is nonexistent as I have no choice but to respond.
I have owned a cellphone for seven years. When I first received the device, I thought text messaging and emailing was the best thing ever. I believed it was the most efficient form of communication as people could respond even if they didn't have time to talk. I have completely changed my way of thinking now that I receive a more than a desirable number of messages. People will send messages involving important information and lengthy explanations that would have been easier to discuss on the phone. I guess I find it so much simpler to pick up the phone and call someone instead of typing a conversation with 200-word messages back and forth. Then there are the instances where a message is sent but taken out of context. I can't even begin to explain how often I receive a text message and pick up on details that I take out of context. Then for the rest of the day, I ask myself, "Did I do something?" or "Are they mad at me?" After stressing for far too long, I call the person to find out they are not mad at all, and my overthinking was all for nothing. For these reasons, I believe my disliking to be justified due to my constant battle with messaging.
To further my understanding of voice calling, I could analyze many different elements that affect the communication modality. For example, I could examine why someone is contacting me, why they are using a certain type of communication, and how it affects both parties. Almost every element can be broken down into further subcategories that could supply more information to further my knowledge and understanding of the situation.
My stated purpose is to speak to people without facing the complications that arise with messaging. My reasoning for using voice calling more than messaging could be broken down even further, but each analysis will lead to my primary purpose. If I use the rhetorical strategies explained in previous paragraphs for every communication I encounter, I would understand purposes other than the one stated.
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