Dropped Calls

Pamela Paul writes in the New York Times about the declining role of the telephone in our lives, at least when it comes to its formerly singular purpose: talking.

"In the last five years, full-fledged adults have seemingly given up the telephone — land line, mobile, voice mail and all. According to Nielsen Media, even on cellphones, voice spending has been trending downward, with text spending expected to surpass it within three years."

At this point I must invoke that most frustrating counter-example, homegrown anecdotal evidence. My spouse receives many phone calls per day. But these are generally associated with her various duties at church. Otherwise, neither one of us regularly receive calls - other than from longtime friends.

"For the most part, assiduous commenting on a friend’s Facebook updates and periodically e-mailing promises to “catch up by phone soon” substitute for actual conversation. With friends who merit face time, arrangements are carried out via electronic transmission."

Read the entire article: Don't call me, I won't call you