Will Visual Voicemail Kill All Voicemail?

Something to ponder: on my phone are 36 unlistened-to voicemail messages. There have been 36 for a couple of weeks now because the 36 have filled the voicemail box somewhere on the AT&T’s voicemail servers. Of course, the phone’s Visual Voicemail could let me select any of the messages and listen to each of them individually - but I dread the idea of doing so: I don’t really want to listen to any of them and I don’t think I’m alone.

You see, I wonder if the visual interface of the Apple iPhone will make voicemail redundant - at a glance I can see who the last folks who have called are and I can see who has left a message. And unless I don’t know what the number is, I can guess what they were calling about and what the message says. In a world where we seem to find bite-size messages in SMS or Twitter form acceptable, why would I spend considerable time listening to an audio message?

If you don’t have visual mail then I pity you - you have to take time out to listen to your voicemail messages one by one. Every one a surprise. Not exactly a modern way to access information. Voicemail feels like it was a technology that was created to fill a gap - until something better came along. And now it has: Sure, ring me but there’s no need to leave a message - I’ll know you called and if you want to tell me something the emerging modern etiquette evolving is you should just text or email me - not leave a voice message.

Either that or I’m just an anti-social miserable sod.