In 2003, Niklas Zennstrom and Janus Friis put forth the idea of file sharing software that made use of a peer-to-peer system as opposed to a client-server system; peers in the system were both suppliers and consumers of data, instead of simply being recipients of data from a server.

This software was initially named Sky peer-to-peer, which was then shortened to Skyper. However, domain names related to Skyper were unavailable, so the last “r” was dropped, and in 2003 Skype was born. As of 2010, 663 million users have registered.

Although Skype is not the only company offering video calling software, it is certainly one of the most recognized. It offers people all over the world the opportunity to keep in touch with anyone “face to face” and gives them the invaluable ability to be able to see their loved one every day, complete with body language, tone of voice, eye movement and hand gestures. Video calling and conferencing has even become an integral part of news networks such as CNN and international companies.

As one of the functioning halves of a long distance relationship, I can definitely say that without the convenience of video calling, our relationship would not be what it is today. Until I got involved in said relationship, I had always underestimated the importance of body language in everyday conversation.
When you’re talking to someone on the street, are you really able to appreciate that most of what they’re saying is coming from the way they’re positioned? I took no notice of it. But as soon as I attempted daily communication with a person who lived “across the pond,” I finally understood how difficult it could be to get your point across without using facial expressions, gestures and eye movements.

It’s very easy to be misunderstood over the phone or by text. Take sarcasm, for example. You’ve got the tone of voice obviously, but then there’s also the roll of the eyes, the raise of the eyebrows, the slight head movement (to the right in my case), and even subtle hand gestures. As easy as it may be to recognize in person, I was easily misunderstood on the phone and in instant messages. Comments that we had meant jokingly turned into insults and that led to fighting.

Body cues make up most of the message we get across. And sure enough, as soon as we started using Skype almost daily to keep in touch, our conversations became a lot clearer.

Despite the prevalence of video calling today, I’m not convinced it will ever replace the traditional telephone. While it’s true that companies like Skype, Apple and Facebook are making video calling incredibly user-friendly, the traditional pick-up-the-phone-and-dial concept remains dear to many.

Even with future generations, when more people will undoubtedly be comfortable with video calling, there are still issues to consider. “Look at this house,” my mother would say, “no one needs to see this!” This example brings up a good point. If you’re the kind of person who enjoys making a good impression (as most of us do), straightening up the house (or your hair) every time you make a phone call isn’t exactly convenient.

However, I wouldn’t say no to having the option of a video call. Whenever my phone rings, having the choice of answering with video or answering traditionally would be pretty cool.

Wherever video calling ends up in the future, it has made a huge difference in the way we communicate in current times. From the boardroom to our smartphones to international news correspondence, being able to see someone hundreds of miles away in real time is an incredibly useful technological tool.