The WhatsApp Couple: Texting In Relationships

Messages that say “Good morning, I miss you, or “How’s your day going?” are simple gestures that enrich our romantic relationships. However, the surge of texting in relationships and reliance on the double blue ticks can sometimes lead to extreme situations. In particular, it can lead to misunderstandings that can lead to conflict.

A recent study published in the journal Computers in Human Behavior showed how much our relationships have changed. In this study, they asked Americans between the ages of eighteen and forty-five about the importance of text messaging in their daily lives.

Specifically, they asked about texting in relationships. The results couldn’t be more convincing. Using texting is the key to any relationship and a measure of their quality.

Text messages are an indispensable form of communication for most of us. We use this medium in particular with our family, colleagues and friends.

We also use it with our romantic partners. The immediate responses and closeness it creates strengthens early-stage relationships. It only gets more complicated as we strengthen our relationship bond and get to that stage where we spend more time together.

Texting in relationships: how does it affect us?

Text messages are subtly intimate yet distant at the same time. In addition to strengthening relationships, they can give us a loving impulse at those times of the day when we need them most. They can also strengthen the bond with our romantic partner.

Unfortunately, there is also the flip side of the coin. Relationship therapists see a growing phenomenon. They realize that texting in relationships is often a double-edged sword.

Much of our disagreements and problems stem from that hyper-connectivity that surrounds us. Digital communication tools have a curious property. They are actually mirrors that reflect our authentic personality. Through them we channel our fears and obsessions.

To better understand this, we just need to think about all the ways texting services affect our relationship.

Ways Messages Disrupt Our Relationships

• Constant contact. At the beginning of a relationship, we probably message our partner every half hour. However, it is very likely that at some point it will be impossible to maintain this flow of communication. When this happens, one of the two partners may become suspicious, panic and wonder if something is wrong.
• Our patience is being tested. With the rise of texting in relationships, our bonds are being tested. This is mainly due to the famous double blue check marks that appear after our partner has read our message. Not replying to a message after you’ve read it can spark suspicion and frustration.

• Who are they online with? Seeing that our partner is online with someone who is not us can create uncomfortable and conflicting situations. Some people even stop being productive at work because they constantly check to see if their partner is online.
• Texting services are not good, effective channels of communication. Despite popular belief, these apps can cause constant miscommunication. We don’t often have miscommunication when we talk face-to-face because we can decipher our partner’s basic non-verbal communication face-to-face.
• Passive-aggressive behavior. Texting services are the perfect places to engage in passive-aggressive behavior. There are many studies that support this fact. For example, manipulation, whether through intimidation or by not responding, is a common and immature behavior that can lead to embarrassing situations.

When we carry our love in our pocket

Just because we have a cell phone or computer doesn’t mean we make good use of it, especially when it comes to using texting services like WhatsApp. We carry our partners in our pockets. Love has become wearable in the twenty-first century, and we don’t always make good use of it.

The new technologies or the constant progress are not to blame. We are the ones who are to blame for not moving forward in harmony with these wonderful resources that are, after all, to make our lives easier.

Texting in relationships today exposes our insecurities. In addition, jealousy can become a weapon of mass destruction through messages, voice messages and emojis.

We should try to avoid these situations by better educating young people, and above all try to make this resource an enriching mechanism for our relationships by starting with ourselves.

We can do this by controlling our emotions and trusting our partner. Authentic communication, the most satisfying type, is the one we do face-to-face and not through an app.