- The telephone was an aberation in human development. It was a 70 year or so period where for some reason humans decided it was socially acceptable to ring a loud bell in someone else’s life and they were expected to come running, like dogs. This was the equivalent of thinking it was okay to walk into someone’s living room and start shouting. it was never okay. It’s less okay now. Telephone calls are rude. They are interruptive. Technology has solved this brief aberration in human behavior.
The author gives far too simplistic an explanation of an opinion that gets projected onto an entire culture. First of all, why "70 years"? We've had the telephone since 1876 -- nearly twice that long. Seventy years before this 2010 post would be 1940 -- well after the introduction of local dialing and the integrated earpiece and mouthpiece, a dozen years before DTMF (touch-tone) in the central offices, 23 years before direct long-distance dialing and touch-tone phones in North America (1963). Secondly, real-time speech connectivity is not going away. That would be like saying "screw the other ear -- let's go back to monophonic." While many hipsters may say this crap from the safety of beards that absorb face punches, the rest of us get freaked when an FM station isn't fully in stereo. I spend my work day making phone calls because I haven't explained something well enough by email. Now to the root of it. The author is pleased to use asynchronous communication. The USB and UDP protocols enjoy the features of this as well. However the author is masking that the annoyance of dealing with a phone call is the avoidance of adulthood and reality. We have had the answering machine since 1964, so delayed response has long since been engrained with society. Not responding at all is still anti-social. It is very likely that the author is an introvert. Thus maintaining passive-aggressive control over communication becomes a way of saving sanity. However we're not all introverts. There is nothing more useful than clearing the air by asking instead of assuming comprehension.
I believe that with the advent of answering machines, and Caller ID in the late 90s, the need to interrupt your day and rush to the bell ceased. After all, you could know who was calling with a little waiting with the tape, and immediately with ID, and could decide whether or not it's worth picking up.
I prefer to call rather than text. I get my point across quicker with less of a chance for misunderstanding, plus I get to practice my people skills.