"Don't talk to me right now"

[butterflydreaming]

This seemed like an appropriate Q & A, since I'm mostly unplugged for a bit.

From the altfriday5:

1. What are all the different media you use to communicate?
*in person (non-confrontationally)
*letters! (notes, cards)
*email
*AIM (rarely)
*phone of any kind except the two-cups-and-string variety: blech

2. Which is your preferred medium in general?
I like letters more than anything. I love snail mail. It's far less invasive than any other method, doesn't demand an immediate answer, and has a set price based on weight. Reliable? Sure it is! As much as any other method.

3. Which is your preferred medium for communicating with your friends?
(See above) But in person is also very good.

...Your family?
*Not* in person. Email is okay, but they mostly use the phone. Blech, again.

...At work?
EMAIL. It's often the phone or fax, but email is best. I like things in writing, please.

4. Which is your preferred medium for communicating that you're angry, upset, or hurt?

In text. I find that IM works rather well, better than a letter or email, because it breaks the "arguement" or discussion down into points, instead of letting me get carried away with the broader emotion. IM works well because I'm not on the spot, being face-to-face with someone with whom I'm having emotional conflict. It gives a little bit of distance, but enough closeness to get to closure. I also find it a great format for embarrassing topics.

5. Are there any media that you find difficult to use (e.g. being anxious about calling people)?

Certainly, by now you must know that I have a deep and abiding dislike for the telephone. I hate the sound of a ringing phone; it puts me on edge. My cell phone, when it is on, is set on vibrate, with a single, low chime for text messages: minimally invasive mode. I hate the demanding nature of phones: answer now! now! now! I hate the weight of the receiver, the way it takes up the use of a hand, making cooking or knitting or any other two-handed activity impossible. (Don't get me started about hands-free or speaker phone.) I hate the distraction, the way people on cell phones talk too loud and can't drive worth a damn. I hade public phones, crawling with bacterial colonies from countless mouth vapor. I dislike how everyone must have a phone, or be considered strange. I hate hate hate the blasted things.

Why so much hate, you ask? Why does a cat hate water, when it can swim (they can)? Perhaps it is merely in my nature.

Comments

[heidimo.livejournal.com]

ew, i hate phones too. i hate the way they interrupt everything, and many people feel they must drop what they are doing and answer the blasted thing. i was so embarrassed when i finally got a cell phone, but doing business in a different area code than the one i live in necessitated the evil thing.

re: 4

[ironymaiden]

interesting. i've had brutal arguments via IM, ones that would not have gone down the same way in person. i think i prefer the assistance of tone and facial expression if i'm dealing with someone i care about. it's easy for both sides to go too far without knowing what effect they are having.

Re: 4

[joyful-storm.livejournal.com]

I very much agree. IM feels safer, less confrontational, giving me distance and a means to communicate with writing (in which I am much more assured than when speaking). I've lost important friendships through clinging to it in emotionally charged discussions, though, to the point where I would go to great lengths to never use it for that kind of discussion again.