They call this the Digital Age. No more wires or waiting, and certainly no more of those lame things we used to call phone conversations.The Reason: Social networking Web sites — we can all agree that for the most part, everyone’s got a Facebook account, right? They’ve made phones irrelevant for some. I got mine five years ago, before there were pictures, status reports or mini-feeds. Fast-forward to today — I could physically feel Facebook graduate from obscurity when I was recommended to become friends with my own mother. The point is, everyone’s “available” all the time. When somebody can be contacted in 85 different ways, only an Amish renaissance festival can keep him legitimately out of touch. And even then, there’s probably an app for that.This sort of globalization was supposed to bring the world together for a group hug. Instead we find one another at arm’s length, our social fabric only more perverted.Years before Facebook turned friends into strangers, people had these things called voices. Using one’s throat, one could actually manipulate his or her “vocal chords” to transmit messages. It worked the same as regular talking. You just had to do it with a phone on your ear. People could also do the same thing today with a Bluetooth earpiece if they felt cool enough.What’s better, one could get more conversation accomplished than through text messaging. Sounds great, right? So why the change? A downside of these voice conversations is it required one to “think quickly.” If someone asked you a question, you had to at least try to answer it. That’s a lot of responsibility, huh? No more, though, thanks to the Digital Revolution. Why call when you can text? The world implicitly wonders, “What could a person today possibly need to talk to me about they can’t find on my Facebook page?” ”You already know what music I like — ‘everything.’ You already know I’m Roman Catholic with Lime. My pictures already told you what I did last weekend — in about 60 variations of the same pose. My status already told you I got rocky road ice cream-because-they-were-out-of-Moolenium-Crunch-IM-SO-PISSED. Doesn’t that about cover it?”Sadly, it might for some.I personally decided to test my theory. Was I being too cynical? Were people really forsaking for E-interaction?Why, then, did only 45 of the 157 people I called recently pick up the phone?What’s worse, how was I able to start writing this article before making a single call? Are we so predictable in our elusiveness? Yes.How many times have you been texted “what’s up” by the person who just “missed your call”?Everyone’s got their times they can’t pick up. Good news for you: scientists reverse-engineered alien technology about 15 years ago to come up with a “caller-ID” function. Now you actually know who needs to talk to you. You know when you screen all your calls? Their number stays in your phone now. It takes thought out of the equation, but not the heart.It’s stupefying that we should consider phone conversation an old-fashioned form of communication, but that sad conclusion is realistic at worst. This is because when you’re actually talking, you have less control over the conversation. It’s like timed chess compared to Monopoly. It may give you less control, sure, but you know what? It’s a lot more honest.So next time you feel like screening your call, consider pressing the green button for a change. Just this once, don’t be afraid. It takes more guts to call than pick up. They might really have something important to talk about.That’s what “friends” are for, right?Jack Johnson is a 23-year-old mass communication junior from Fort Worth, Texas. Follow him on Twitter @TDR_jjohnson.
 
 
 
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