Email v. Phone

INCIDENT:
How the hell did we communicate before email? I was in high school when AOL AIM was catching fire, but even then it was a novelty and we still talked mostly in person or on the phone as a matter of necessity. But now we have all sorts of modes of communication that match people's personalities and preferences much better -- email, instant messaging, mobile phones, text messaging, video conferencing, web phones, etc. The two fundamental concepts underlying all of these different modes of communication are spoken communication (aka the telephone) and written communication (aka electronic mail).

When I was working a pseudo-office job, I realized that people are either email people or they are phone people. You will get an optimal response from only one of these modes of communication for any given individual. I have yet to meet someone who uses either equally as much.

MORAL:
Spoken and written word both have different advantages and disadvantages. When you talk on the telephone you can hear the intonations in the person's voice. You can tell more easily if they are being sarcastic or serious, and you can shape your response appropriately. While in email, you can develop your thoughts in a more concise and cohesive way. It can be less reactive and more thought out.

I prefer email. And I am realizing it's because when I talk to someone in person or on the phone, I usually end up saying things that I don't mean. Or rather I say things that are misinterpreted from my original meaning. This happens to me a lot. It's because I think externally. I need to articulate my thoughts and feelings in order to organize and develop my perspective. I realize that many people do this process internally, but I have a hard time doing so. This is why I like email. I can think about my response and type it out but not send it. I guess this is also why I like blogs. I can ruminate on life in a way that fits my mindset.