Yesterday, everything that I watched, read, or listened to had to do with relationships (Valentines Day). I saved this post for today – but it comes from some of the Valentines Day chatter from yesterday.
I listened to an interview yesterday, and they gave the 10 ten tips for relationships. One of the tips had to do with a texting relationships. There were all of these rules about how the face to face interaction must outnumber the text, and how the texts should just be informational and not conversational.
It is as if the texting relationship was somewhat ‘not real’ or not as good as a face to face one.
Well, the interaction with just words is very real. You can form very intimate bonds by just reading words. There is power in text. There is power in words.
Think about your interaction with the Bible or whatever religious book that you read and study, the words are potent. People memorize the words, and the words change you on the inside.
A text can deepen a relationship – even in the absence of a face to face interaction. Sure – lots of cues are missed, but relationships still deepen.
identitySPECIALIST 
I can’t agree with you more!
Isn’t the danger that texting becomes a way to interact that is less threatening…less – brave? Could it be a way to hide instead? It’s just a thought…I’m a big texter – love it actually…. But I must confess that too often take the cheap, easy way out & send a text – when I really should’ve dialed their number and make the effort to connect better.
~julie
You bring up a great point, but it’s still an interaction. It’s still a real mode of communication – even in the hiding – you communicate something very real. I wrote a previous post about how it’s for men – https://identityspecialist.net/2010/05/16/texting-is-for-men/
I see your point here Lem, and I think it is a good one. However, as with anything, I think there is a problem with texting (really technology in general) in that it causes people to ignore those people who are actually around them. For example, my fiance will text or even play games on his or a friends cell phone and completely ignore the conversation at hand, communication which is equally just as important and perhaps more important in that type of context.
I think that there is now a blurring of what types of communication are more important at the time. Personally, I prefer to be looked at in the eyes when I’m having a conversation rather than looking at the crown of someone’s head while they text someone else. But I guess that perhaps that my preference is a “stylistic difference” or is there really something to wanting to be given undivided attention in a conversation?