Over the years, new technology has brought about many benefits, but one of the greatest technological advancements has been the phone. Reaching someone over the phone at a moment’s notice is a huge advantage that helps everyone with daily life, whether it’s a call, text, or email. Instead of having to wait days or even weeks for someone to be able to reach you, it takes mere seconds. 

There are many pros and cons to calling and texting, including intrusiveness, misunderstanding, simplicity, etc. When texting, it is easy for people to ignore you or forget to respond. It is also easy for others to misunderstand you. However, texting is less intrusive because if you or the person you are talking to is busy, it is easier for them to respond to a text than to answer a phone call. When it comes to a phone call, not only can it be intrusive, but it may take more time. However, with a phone call, it is less likely that there will be misunderstandings. 

About 81% of Americans text on daily bases. Roughly 97% of American adults text weekly. Approximately 50% of adults (18-24) find that text conversations can be as intimate/meaningful as phone calls. Having the ability to text is a privilege that many Americans experience. Many Americans take advantage of this and text twice as much as they call.

Long-distance communication wasn’t always so efficient. The road to where we are now was a long one. Long-distance communication first originated as mail. The postal system’s first documented appearance was about 2400 BCE in Egypt. Later in the 1650s, Jean-Jacques Renouard de Villayer built mailboxes around Paris, and if someone put in an envelope that he had sold, he would deliver it. Unfortunately, this ended as soon as someone started putting rats in his mailboxes. Then in England, in 1837, Rowland Hill invented the first adhesive postage stamp. He was knighted for his invention and created the first consistent postage stamp system. 

The United States has had a postal system separate from the government since 1775. The postal system holds a large part in American history and is still one of the finest ways to contact someone, though it has become obsolete when compared to texting or calling.

Many emergencies that need immediate attention may not get it unless someone has a phone and can call for help. Whether or not you are someone that enjoys the postal system, texting, or calling, everyone can appreciate that without having long-distance communication, life wouldn’t be the same.

Bellis, Mary. “History of Mail and the Postal System.” ThoughtCo, ThoughtCo, 4 Oct. 2019, https://www.thoughtco.com/history-of-mail-1992142#:~:text=The%20first%20documented%20use%20of,the%20territory%20of%20the%20state  

Heingartner, Douglas HeingartnerDouglas. “Texting vs Calling: New Study Explains Why a Phone Call Means More than a Feeble Text.” PsychNewsDaily, 3 Oct. 2022, https://www.psychnewsdaily.com/texting-vs-calling-phone-makes-deeper-bonds/#:~:text=Texting%20is%20less%20intrusive%20than,or%20judged%20by%20people%20nearby  

“U.S. Texting Statistics.” The Local Project, 2 Dec. 2021, https://www.localproject.net/docs/texting-stats/ 

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