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When I’m doing something, I don’t want to read your message :shrug:. We as modern humans spend our time doing things. Even if that ‘thing’ is 'proper bugger all’, our brains are engaged, and reading your message means I have to stop doing something. Of course if it’s important or we’re already having a conversation, that’s fine, good even, if I can scan your words and know what’s going on, I’ll be happy. Or if we work together and I’m being paid to read your words, sure, that’s fine.

But if you send me a text message, a message made out of text, please don’t expect a response, especially not quickly. I’ll see the notification, maybe even some of your words, but unless it’s important, I’ll get to it later (and I will get to it later).

But there are only two kinds of notification that are useful. Reminders, and focusers. A reminder is one that pops up to let you know something is going on, maybe it’s a timer for what’s in the oven, maybe it’s an alarm, maybe it’s just ‘remember you haven’t got something to post this Sunday’. These are great, they don’t require a response, they’re not asking you to stop what you’re doing and tap on the screen, they’re just ‘notifying’.

And a focuser, which is when you’ve accidentally found yourself falling down a rabbit hole and the notification brings you back to reality, it breaks your focus and allows you to move on. Like when you’ve been watching auto-playing YouTube videos for goodness knows how long and you get a message and all you think is ‘thank fuck’ because that’s a good excuse to minimize that app.

Neither of these notifications are going to make me want to read your words. If your message is a focuser I’ll be grateful and probably get to your message next time my mind wanders, but that’s it.

However, a voice message, now that’s a different thing entirely. Maybe the fabled third good notification. There are three things that make the voice message superior to the text message:

1. More kinds of communication
2. Less attention is taken
3. They’re Faster

When you send a voice message I don’t just hear your words, I hear how you say your words, there’s less room for error, and less room for you to spend ages thinking about what you’re going to say which typically makes things more honest. I prefer that okay. It may sound silly but honesty really is the best policy. If I see a voice note, I’ll pop that notification open and hit play then get back to what I’m doing. I’ll let my listening brain do the work of figuring out if what you’re talking about requires focus, and let the other part carry on. And of course it’s quicker. I can speak faster than I can type. Granted I can probably read faster than you can speak but that’s made up for by my second point.

If voice notes were playable from within the notification dialog, holy cow, I’d save two clicks and try not to ever open a messaging app again. This must already be a thing right? Anyone know one?

Conclusion

I have a few drafts waiting to be published but none felt right for a Sunday or just aren’t finished, so you get this. I prefer voice notes because they require less focus, and they’re more efficient. There’s less reading between the lines and there’s more aspects of communication, I can hear your words but also how you say your words. Mouth words are typically better at quick communication than written words. Disagree? Okay.

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