NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE: In the fast-paced digital age, singer-songwriter and actress Dolly Parton has embraced a "low-tech" life, still loving a fax machine instead of embracing text messages. The 77-year-old Parton shared her unique approach to communication while speaking on 'The Drew Barrymore Show'.
Speaking about her refusal to accept text messaging to connect with others, Parton said she dislikes talking to everybody who wants to converse with her on texts.
Dolly Parton stays away from a high-tech world
The 'Jolene' singer explained to the host why she was not ready to embrace a high-tech communication method.
"I always say I'm a low-tech girl in a high-tech world, but I surround myself with all these people that are into this high-tech world. I don't want to talk to everybody that wants to talk to me. I don't text because I don't want to have to answer," Parton told Drew Barrymore.
"If somebody calls me, I'll answer if I want to talk to them, or I'll call them back when I can. Otherwise, I got too much to think about to clutter my mind up with everything else. I'm certainly not a stupid person," she added.
The singer emphasized that despite having the opportunity to learn the latest digital developments, she chose not to.
"I could learn it if I wanted to, but I'd rather just have my fax machine, call in my creative stuff to my crew, and I've got the best crew in the world," she said.
Faxing is the sole method to connect with Dolly Parton
Parton's goddaughter Miley Cyrus and friend Reba McEntire have previously shared anecdotes about the singer's love for faxing.
During the October 2021 episode of 'The Graham Norton Show', Cyrus recalled her godmother sending a fax asking her to collaborate on a holiday album. "She gets upset when you don't respond," she noted.
Cyrus, who does not own a fax machine, added, "It's like, 'I'm sorry, I don't even know. Half the people watching your show might not even know what a fax machine is!'"
In an episode of 'Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen', singer and actress Reba McEntire also recounted how faxing is the only way to connect with Parton.
"You don't call Dolly, you fax her," McEntire revealed. "You fax your people and your people talk to her people. That's the only way I know to get ahold of her," she added.
Netizens support Dolly Parton's 'low-tech' life
In this fast-paced era where everyone is connected, netizens are applauding Parton for her perspective on embracing technology. Amusingly, many find her statement about staying less connected very "relatable".
One user said, "So relatable 'I don't text because I don't want to have to answer.'"
Another user noted, "'I don’t want to have to answer' I’ve never felt a statement more deeply in my entire life."
A third user shared a meme with the caption, "Oh she’s just like me fr."
“'I don’t text because I don’t want to have to answer' Realest thing everrrr," stated a fourth user.
One user added, "Love her perspective on being a 'low-tech girl.'"
"LOLL THATS SO REALLL," noted a sixth one. While another stated, "'I don’t text because I don’t want to have an answer' I felt that that."
"We should all be more like Dolly," said another user.