Skype, Oovoo, FaceTime...even Facebook and Google have video chatting options now. Why is it that this has become such a prominent form of communication?
When people pick up their phones to get in touch with someone, they generally send out a text message rather than call the person. Most will say that they do this because it allows the other person to respond at their own leisure. It is also normally just a quick question or comment. When people really want to have a conversation with someone, they tend to lean toward video chatting.
One issue that I have personally had with texting, Facebook chatting, and other forms of instant messaging is tone. It is so easy to misunderstand the other person’s intentions when you can’t hear their inflections. This causes arguments and drama that shouldn’t even exist in the first place. Voice and facial expressions are key parts of communication that can define an entire conversation.
Glancing at your list of contacts on Skype, Oovoo, etc., you may see a name that strikes a desire to speak with that person, one that wasn’t present before. Besides that, video chatting allows for multiple people to join in on the conversation at the same time whereas phone calls are limited to only three participants.
Another pro to video chatting that I have recently had plenty of experience with is that long-distance calls are just as free as calls within the same building. When you have friends or family members in a different state, or even a different country, telephone companies restrict the times that you can talk to them and most people don’t even have international calls on their phone plans. Video chatting is a stress free way to stay in touch with people that you rarely see without having to lose anything (except maybe the connection every once in a while).
Not to mention, sometimes it’s just nice to see the beautiful face that’s speaking to you.
Related Topics: FaceTime, Facebook, Google, Oovoo, Skype, Text Messaging, and Video Chatting How do you prefer to communicate with people?
