Butt Dialing is Not for the Weak

So, we've all seen the T-Mobile commercial where the guy sitting on the couch moves his hind end just so, and the buttons on the phone in his pocket dial his girlfriend's phone.

Funny stuff. Funnier still when the call comes in to my desk, and its from a back pocket or a backpack or something at my daughter's school. I listened to five minutes of high school life between passing bells today.

I learned that **** and ***** are going out this weekend, and that ***** is mad because she never meant for the two of them to hook up in the first place when she introduced them.

I learned that no fewer than four people failed to do their homework for the class that was about to start, and that one female actually did her homework, but, "Ohmigawd it was SOOOO hard and it was almost impossible to get it done and still have time to finish uploading all the new iTunes before the prices go up," and then ***** called her and she so f***ing couldn't believe it because she's been wanting him to call for f***ing EV-ERRRRRRR.

And I learned that my daughter cracks good jokes.

All this was very intriguing, but sort of a strange way to peer into another's life as well.

The Texters' Dilemma

I know that we live in a more tribal culture these days—sharing small, day-to-day details about our lives, via FaceBook, MySpace, Tweeter, texts, blogs, and so on. On some levels, I think it brings about a sense of connectedness that we wouldn’t otherwise have.

And there’s convenience. I thoroughly appreciate that I have the ability to text family members with quick messages. I don’t really need a whole phone conversation to say, “Don’t forget to take out the trash.”

This being said, there are some things that shouldn’t be shared via text. Sometimes it’s a case of just too much information. Sometimes, it’s a case of technology’s inability to replace a warranted face-to-face conversation. Below are some real life examples culled from my own experiences, and those of friends.

Things That Should Not Be Texted:

“No baby yet… just got an epidural.”

“I’m in the airport bathroom taking a dump. Gonna go now, it stinks in here.”

“My pants are wet. You know, THAT kinda wet. Gotta go.”

“It’s not you… it’s me… this just isn’t working out.”

“Will you marry me?”

“I’m with XXX in his car. I’ll call you when I get my pants back on.”