This week, I realized that most people don’t have an opinion (or have much to say) on an issue unless you put them in a spot where they really have to think about it and come up with an answer.
Case in point: I was in Raleigh this weekend at my aunt and uncle’s house when my editor alerted me to the fact that I did not have any student input on the issue of construction on campus, and because The Pendulum is a student newspaper, student input is necessary, if not vital. I texted as many people in my contacts as I could think of who would have an opinion or know someone who had an opinion on the issue. No one responded positively. I asked many of my friends living in North Area if they thought the construction of Hunt Softball Field would bother them; they said they didn’t really think it would affect them very much. All of these are understandable responses.
It was funny to me, though, that as soon as I walked into Acorn Coffee Shop yesterday night to interview someone about the trend of construction, the girl I asked had something to say about it. The old rule that all my communications and journalism teachers throughout high school and college is entirely true: People take you much more seriously in person. It makes me realize how unreliable technology can be. I much prefer calling or speaking in person not only to sources, but also to my friends [mostly because I don’t like texting on the iPhone or chatting on Facebook (because you’re already procrastinating by being on Facebook and having more friends trying to talk to you at once doesn’t help that much)].
So this week, I learned the true value of face-to-face communication. Even though I’ve known of its value in the past from my interviews, I came to the conclusion that it is by far the best way to talk to people and put pressure on them to come up with an opinion on a subject. Either that, or every patron of Acorn I’ve ever spoken to has an opinion on just about everything. But I’m sticking with the first conclusion.