Text messaging is a beautiful way to get in touch with someone. In a single moment you can connect with someone miles away by barely lifting a finger. It is simple, easily accessible, and private. All of these things are good. Who hasn’t received a text message from a good friend and, instantly, it put a smile on your face?
However, with the ever-growing popularity of text messaging as a primary method of communication, there are certain dangers that the avid text messenger should know. Texting is no longer only used for quick contact and simple interaction but rather for full-blown conversations. The first danger we must comprehend is this: while texting is a simple way to communicate, the communication is already deficient. A text message lacks all nuances usually included in body language, tone, pitch, etc. This can cause misunderstanding and conflicts that would be lessened if communicated in a face-to-face or even telephone conversation.
The second, and possibly the more severe risk, is that a text message gives us the opportunity to be more “courageous” with what we say and how we say it. This is not only true with texting but with any form of communication that allows us to speak from behind a screen (i.e. instant messaging, chat rooms, email, Facebook). Because we are physically removed from the conversation, there is a false security associated with how our words are received. We no longer can see the other’s face or reaction, relieving the guilt we may otherwise experience when speaking directly to the other person. This phenomenon gives us a “freedom” to be rash, harsh, and ruthless in a way that we would not be otherwise. Or, on the other extreme, texting can allow us to be overly intimate and say and share things that would never be shared face-to-face. The problem with this is that it is far too easy to say empty sweet nothings from behind a screen and lead another(s) on. It is no longer uncommon for entire relationships to be initiated and lived out solely through screens. Relationships that are based primarily on communications through text messages are vastly inferior to other relationships because they are missing true human contact. The ability to look into another person’s eyes and/or see their facial and bodily expressions throughout a conversation cannot transfer to a digital exchange of words, no matter what is typed.
When texting, we should always remind ourselves of the words that St. James shared with the early Church: “Let every man be quick to hear and slow to speak” (Jas 1:19). Instead of firing off text after text like we have grown accustomed to, we need to ensure first of all that our texts do not replace face-to-face interactions and also that they are uplifting and building up the other person and the Kingdom of God.
Maybe we should should just start asking ourselves WWJT – What would Jesus Text? ……Or maybe not.
