The Trials And Tribulations Of Texting

The other day, I overheard one of my colleagues talking about going back and forth with a guy for months to try and schedule a second date. She mentioned that nearly every communication has been via text message. I couldn’t help thinking how texting has become a poor substitute for conversations better suited to the telephone or speaking face to face.

Not too long ago, I found myself sitting next to a woman as she spoke of her anxiety that the guy she periodically hooks up with had given her an STD. She chose to confront him about it in a text message. After all, she reasoned, it would be far too forward to actually call him.

Speaking of STDs, I once dated a guy who asked me in a text message if I’d ever been tested for the HPV virus. While it eventually came out that this was his clumsy way of expressing concern about my risk for cancer, I told him I would have appreciated a phone call instead. Call me crazy but I don’t think questions about sexually transmitted diseases are really appropriate for texting.

A Hilarious Take On Texting:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dX3ws6OnGuE

For all of its conveniences, texting makes it too easy to throw verbal caution to the wind. I discovered this in a major way with a real estate attorney who had a penchant for sending racy messages like--

“I woke up this morning thinking of you, if you know what I mean.”

So much for leaving things to the imagination.

That’s the downside of texting -- etiquette often ends up taking a back seat to the instant gratification of typing on your phone’s keypad and hitting send. Some messages, especially when they’re being communicated in the early stages of dating, are best delivered in person.