that texting causes so many misunderstandings and people should just pick up the phone and talk?

[CoolCadbury]

I'm sure we have all been there. The problem with texting important emotional stuff is that we can often misinterpret, misconstrue and take offence at a text and it snowballs. Better to pick up the phone and have a chat about it.

Oh hell yes

I've certainly been guilty of reading too much into a text or mis-reading them.

If I need to talk to DP/tell him anything important I just wait til I see him or til I can phone him or it has the potential to go all weird via text.

I'm not as old as I sound btw! I just prefer the old fashioned way

Well yes, but some people don't do confrontation so can't engage in a call.

Not being petty arseholes is a good start too

Yes! Totally agree... It's good to talk.

Depends on what you are talking about.

"Important emotional stuff" requires face to face if possible, not just a phone call, unless face to face is impossible.

Anything that is not "important emotional stuff" I prefer asynchronous communication - let each person pay attention when it is convenient for them.

No...

I can't do the phone. I have deep-seated anxiety issues and the phone is my nemesis. It takes me literally hours to be able to phone anyone...I've just made a call to my GP, and I've been trying since 8am. They didn't answer so I'm waiting for a call back, and I'm a state.

I'll keep texts, thank you! I've never had a text misunderstanding yet. Touch wood.

Trills. I agree that important emotional stuff needs to be face to face but not always possible. When I was in a long distance relationship, when it was new, I quickly found out that texting was not the way to go, and to a lesser extent neither were emails. (Skype was not around then, or I had not heard of it anyway ).

But it is amazing how many people communicate via text for the big stuff. Indeed my stepson and his g/f seem to. All that huffing and puffing a simple call would settle.

YABU

I'm rubbish speaking on the phone. I really really hate it. When I was younger i used to get terribly worked up if I had a phone call to make, and loathe it now. I pause at the wrong times, interupt inappropriately, am just rubbish at it. I would be perfectly capable of making a difficult conversation much much worse. Thank god for mobile phones and texting!

It's nothing to do with shyness either or being socially inept. I'm perfectly fine face-to-face, in business or social situations.

I've always thought that if texts had been invented first and then the telephone next, we'd all be raving about how amazing it is to just pick up the phone and talk to someone, rather than wasting ages having to type is all out on a teeny-tiny keyboard.

I mean type 'it' all out. Curse this teeny tiny keyboard!

Nah, I love texting. I find phoning people tedious and can't stand when my phone rings in the middle of eating dinner/reading a good book/chatting to my family/watching a movie. Just text, say what you need to say and go back to your own life.

yabu. Phones are the work of the Devil, to be avoided at all costs. IM is the best form of communication, they can't see or hear you, no restrictions on length of message, can think about what you want to say and phrase thingds properly...perfect. Email good too.

YABU. I hate long phone calls. They are tedious, time-consuming and just as difficult to 'read' emotion IMO as unable to see anyone's face.

I've never had a text misunderstanding because I choose my words carefully - which I have the luxury of being able to do precisely because it's a text conversation, whereas in a phone call you can be 'caught' and end up blurting out something badly phrased which can cause offence/upset.

I am always of the opinion that for 'difficult' conversations, texting is much better as it allows the recipient time in private to compose themselves before having to respond.

All that said, neither texting nor calling are a substitute for face-to-face conversations, which I much prefer.

No...

I can't do the phone. I have deep-seated anxiety issues and the phone is my nemesis. It takes me literally hours to be able to phone anyone...I've just made a call to my GP, and I've been trying since 8am They didn't answer so I'm waiting for a call back, and I'm a state.

I'll keep texts, thank you! I've never had a text misunderstanding yet. Touch wood.

This ^

I have really bad anxiety with the phone. If someone told me they'd give me £1000 to make a phone call to someone that wasn't my DH/mum/sister, I just couldn't do it. Texting all the way for me.

Oh, it's interesting how so many people have anxiety issues re:phone. Well, not interesting for the ones suffering, obviously.

I hate talking on the phone. It's horrible. Texting has saved me, I am good at being succinct.