I myself am a call boy, there’s no denying it. All my friends will tell you that trying to have a conversation with me over text is near impossible. If there was to be a face-to-face discussion at the pace of my texting anyone incapable of hibernation would die of starvation while waiting for a reply. Not that I don’t have an answer, or the right thing to say, in fact I’m quite unsure as to why I am so terrible at texting.
My (then) prospective partner had been trying to wittingly engage me through sms and mms, apparently this had become a major part of modern courting ritual. Sometimes I would reply but then get distracted or walk away, other times I wouldn’t check my phone until the message had lost relevance. I would stand by in awe as my friends would whip out their phone, send a message and resume conversation like second nature. Another of my friends would be constantly messaging his girlfriend in endless essays of trivialities.
In my case, however, what sealed the deal was not my lightning emoji reflexes or proficiency with the relevant gif. No, it was the old 1, 2: meal and a movie, followed by the highly unconventional 3: early morning drunk dial for kebabs. Surprisingly it worked and I guess that brings me to my point.
For a type of media to be effective the author and the audience must be able to meet at a certain point, a destination. The composer of material must be comfortable with the form or medium and proficient with the skills and techniques to engage or persuade an audience. In this instance I was comfortable with the forms of face-to-face and phone conversation, and was able to use charm and shock-tactics to arrive at the final destination: a second date. This may not of been as well received if my girlfriend was – like most others – impervious to drunken expressions of interest. Know your audience, know your means. Or else you’ll end up like this poor drunk lad who replied to his own text here.