Hit me with a text.

When asking my interviewees about which form of media they preferred to use when contacting a plutonic friend I found that generally people tend to prefer using texting as their contacting method during the day because with texting people can answer at any time. If others are busy or cannot talk on the phone due to being at work, they can easily engage in a text conversation without disrupting their activities. Texting was also said to be quite handy for having a short and sweet conversation, whereas phone discussions are lengthy and time consuming.

One aspect that all participants stated was that they preferred talking on the phone to family members and really close friends much more than texting them, and due to the time commitment, those conversations occur less often. They reported that texting was used much more with acquaintances because with texting as opposed to calling, the awkward level is at an all time low. But they favored texting as a means of daily communication over phone calls because you can answer or receive a text right away and be in constant contact with anyone throughout the day no matter what both people are engaged in.

Social networking sites, such as Facebook were also found to be useful in contacting friends, however, the participants reported that they used Facebook to reach out to those they rarely are in contact with; acquaintances, and would just post silly things on their close friends' walls just for kicks. Social networking sites bring a less immediate response whereas texting is much more speedy.