serious 21st-century question:

You have a friend who lives far away and you guys haven't spoken/emailed/etc in a while. You want to chat with them to catch up. Do you prefer:

• instant messaging?
• calling and talking on the phone and/or voice chatting over Skype?
• video chatting over Skype or whatever?

Bonus: does the answer change depending on the friend, or if you're talking to family members instead, or if you're meeting someone for the first time (e.g. a potential roommate wants to talk to you before agreeing to let you move in, but you currently live on the other coast, or something like that)?

I'm really curious what everyone thinks!