My First Digital Birthday: Communication

My birthday this year was highly digital so I wanted to sum up the various ways I received my “Happy Birthday” messages and more importantly, what it means.

I received 60-something facebook messages from a combo of family, friends coworkers and acquaintances (mainly coworkers acquaintances). I received 5 phone calls (from my parents, an aunt and 2 close friends). I received 8 text messages (from my sister, 2 cousins, an aunt, my boyfriend’s mom, 2 close friends, and a coworker/friend). I received 3 cards in the mail (from 2 aunts and a friend).

On the non-digital front I received about a couple dozen in person birthday wishes (1 from my boyfriend, 1 at the restaurant, the rest from coworkers and friends). I received 2 cards handed to me in person (from my parents and my roommate). Lastly, 1 message accompanied with flowers and chocolates delivered at my office from an aunt.

Does any of this surprise me? No. The only one that appeared out of the ordinary was the card received in the mail from a friend (which was nice). Also, those who are rather close to me made it a point to send their wishes in all formats possible (in person, a phone call and then a text or email just in case!) These people must love me a lot :)

So what can we learn from this when it comes to communication? People communicate differently based off of 2 important factors; 1 – age (which also drives wiliness to adopt technology) and 2 - closeness. The older you are, the less likely you are to communicate special messages digitally. Older people tend to pick up the phone or even drop a card in the mail. There is a sense of time and effort that is prevalent in their communication. Secondly, the closer you are to somebody (regardless of age) the more likely you are to communicate in a more personal way (like by phone) – this usually includes family and close friends.

So, ranking these forms of communication from the impersonal to personal...
1. Facebook/In person (In person may seem strange here but I’ve placed it here because I’m thinking of when it’s done in passing, like at work)
2. Email (also depends on who it’s coming from; your dentist or your mom)
3. Text (this is bit more personal than email only because you can have a back-and-forth conversation more easily)
4. Phone Call/Card (Handed to you in person) – these messages tend to come to you from that people that love you most
5. Card (sent by mail) – I feel this is the most personal form of communicating special messages (accompanied with an in person visit at a later time) because it takes the most amount of thought, time and effort

By the way, I did have a nice in-person BBQ with my parents and friends as well as a lovely dinner with my boyfriend which of course is the most personal of them all!