Texting is the way to communicate in present day and age. The majority of society does it, they use it as a preferred method of communicating with one another. You have apps like Tinder, KiK, and Whatsapp out there, catered to our generation and future generations... made to make connecting with one another easier, simpler.
But because of us being so used to using it as a main source of communication, we often forget that texting is more for those conversations that don't necessarily need immediate replies. We forget that if something is urgent, it's better to call than to text.
A phone call is persistent, nagging, like a child poking their mother in the side in the supermarket because they want that cool new toy. A text is like someone driving by in a car, shouting a "Hey!" out at you while you're walking by on the side of the road.
Both will grab your attention, but the persistent nagging child will hold your interest longer than the stranger shouting at you from their vehicle.
And therein lies the root of the problem when it comes to expectations with texting and recieving replies, in a prompt and timely manner. We think that just because we have the time to message someone, that the person we're trying to get into contact with also has the time.
So when we don't receive a prompt reply - especially in a fresh and not entirely established relationship - we assume that we aren't of very great importance. We get irritable, we feel sad; mislead about where we thought the friendship, or relationship, was going. It makes us...a bit crazy. We second guess things.
"Did I say something to offend them?" or "Are they just not that into me anymore?" maybe even "I guess our date didn't go that well, since I haven't heard fromt them..."
Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love texting. It's my favorite way to talk to people, because I'm hard of hearing and more of a listener than a talker. It makes for dull phone conversations, because I'm more of a facial expression type of girl. You can't see my face over the phone, I can't send you emojis to express how my face looks when you tell me something.
But as someone who favors texting, even I can recognize how toxic and bad it is for any relationship - be it romantic or platonic.
Of course, this depends greatly on the mind behind the person texting. Not receiving a reply 5 hours after you've texted someone doesn't always phase everyone, some people let it roll off them like rain on a water resistant jacket. But for others, it's kind of a big deal. It makes them feel uncertain about where your relationship really stands.
After all, to them, what could be so important that it keeps you away from replying to them? Especially when you've spoken before about how important they are to you. Surely you were lying, if you're choosing to do other things than taking 2 minutes tops to answer a text.
To sum it all up, to play it safe - if you're a bad texter, if you absolutely suck at replying, then you should make it known to any new people you decide to take on as texting buddies. Perhaps then, you'll save trouble in the future of them doubting why it takes you so long to reply to them. Or perhaps you decide calling is a better form of communication between the two of you.
Don't let poor texting etiquette put a strain on your relationships. Put it out in the open from the get go, let them know if texting just isn't really your thing. Espeically if you use iMessage and have your read receipts on. Nothing pisses a female off more than her seeing you read her text at 4:30pm and not hearing from you until 11:50pm.
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