Hmmm… I somewhat disagree with Joel Stein’s article in TIME, and I generally enjoy reading his columns (TIME remains one of the few pubs I just refuse to read online).
While I agree that we’re not always eager to look at each other when we talk on the phone, I have found that Skype has remarkable call quality and you easily have the option not to video call. You can just IM if you want. Or just talk as you are working. With Skype, you have distinct communication options that allow for much discretion. I use Skype to talk to clients and reporters, but mainly I love to use it when I talk to my friends and family in Europe. For FREE! Hello? And I can see them if I want to.
I don’t think you can beat that by washing dishes when you talk on a regular phone just to save some time. It depends how you use Skype, and how you understand its dynamic. The article also raises the big question: why are we so innovative with communication technology, if in the end all we do is avoid direct communication as much as possible?