The Communication Problems of Today

This is something that came up in a (private FB message) conversation with a friend, and I just thought I need to get this off my chest. It´s about trying to reach somebody by phone and them never getting back to you, every single time you call them or text them, and them saying they don´t like to talk on the telephone.

I would like to know what everybody before the internet? We were on the phone with friends and family all the time, talking! Not all the time, okay (I bet some of you were though!), but that´s how we communicated when we didn´t see each other or were trying to organise meeting up etc. I feel very sad that most people have forgotten how to do this these days or say they hate it or “it´s not in their nature” to use the phone.

Eventually, in reply to my phone call or text message, I get a FB, email or Whatsapp message (too fiddly to talk/type for long on the mobile!) from them, writing lots of stuff that they could have told me easily and quickly on the phone, with much less energy and time spent than sitting on the computer, typing. It also would save me from having to type a lengthy reply back, especially if there have been misunderstandings that needed explanations, that would have been totally avoided in a phone call! Finally, with a phone in your hand you could be lying on the sofa relaxing, rather than spending energy typing on the computer.

But that´s not just it. With my rheumatoid arthritis and fibromyalgia I find it difficult most days to type lots of text, but especially when my work on web projects demands a lot of typing/mouse work already, or when I´m worn out like today, after the Carnival. My wrists and finger joints are killing me, and even typing this is agonising (but, like I said, I have to get it off my chest, otherwise I´ll end up with a headache instead, hehe!).

I have mentioned all this before to some of my friends, especially the stuff in the previous paragraph and would have thought that they would understand that my “invisible disability” makes it painful enough for me to always type unnecessary things (like THIS!) and that they would come towards me and meet me somewhere in the middle, but this hasn´t happened. I think if I was in a wheelchair people would make more leeway towards anything that would make my life easier! :/

I am sad to say this, but I will just have to stop communicating with them altogether because I cannot continue spending all this time and painful energy typing when I can avoid it. Moving my mouth to speak doesn´t hurt, but typing does. Always. Even on good days, but I just “bear” it then.

So, if you, my good friends, have any suggestions how to solve this dilemma, I am open to suggestions…

UPDATE: I have now deactivated my Facebook account, because it is taking the biggest part out of my life that I spend typing and communicating. Instead, I´m back on Twitter again – much less typing to do there!