When I’m texting a close friend, the conversations stress me. I cannot interpret the intention behind the bubbled words. The context of the conversation can be simple or serious, either way I remain confused struggling to respond in the correct manner. Communicating via text does not correlate well with the disorder I struggle to balance, ADHD type B. This form of the disorder leads me to struggle with hypersensitivity and impulsivity. 

     ADHD is complex , many assume it's the struggle to focus one's attention, but this symptom isn’t universal;  it’s rather a stereotypical function of ADHD. When reading a text message, I often experience  tightness in the chest, obsessive thoughts, and assume the meaning behind said text. This fear causes me to react irrationally and respond unfairly. 

       Texting should only be done in quick and light conversation. Extended conversations over text are a recipe for confusion and miscommunication. The quality of direct human contact is powerful and texting is not adequate a replacement. Many would argue it is a way to connect faster and stay in touch with one another amidst situations where we cannot speak directly. But without limits,  what are the costs? 

    According to Gitnux Market data from 2024,  teens typically send on average 67 texts a day, this number increased to 100 texts per day in 31% of teenagers. Even in the same  room, the teens said they communicated via text. This shows just how likely we are to choose communication through text messaging. Over 51% of high school students primarily use  texting  to connect with their closest friend. 

      Why do we choose a phone over  face to face interaction? 

       The answer, we prefer to contour our interactions through the mechanisms of technology. For teenagers and young adults, we find the ability to control a situation of conversation easier through text. Deseret News reported the decline in desire for real life conversation has declined so dramatically only 32% of teens still find in person communication to be the better option. “Interacting in real time is riskier, and it’s even riskier when you are self-conscious,” student told Quartz. “Social media allows more editing.”As someone with my struggle to read people, I cannot find the ability to edit ourselves even more, to be beneficial. When I speak to a person as they stand before me, I recognize their energy levels, their interest in the topic, and their overall reception to the context. When you take this aspect away, you stunt a person's ability to handle those risky conversations. Having them over text is not the answer, it's a tactic of avoidance. 

    Let us consider how we are affected negatively and unconsciously. When we sit by our phones during a disagreement or emotional conversation with a friend, we become tense, awaiting the person's response. Funny enough, this waiting would not occur with the honesty in person conversation requires, we have no time to prepare our reactions. When the person texts back, relief washes over us ridding the anxiety momentarily. This is the phenomenon of “ Text Anxiety.” 

       Psychotherapist Jessica Collins, states, "Communication is all about how we’re perceiving information from someone through the use of words, symbols, tone, and behavior." Texting removes that face-to-face experience, removing visual cues.  This claim references romantic relationships but applies to any relationships of love and friendship. Texting used to be a communication tool for simple safety and letting your boss know you were running late. Now it holds power over our basic emotional interpretation. It is within the human mental state to react strongly when we feel aroused with a sudden emotion, our emotional arousal can be negatively increased when we have too much room to interpret someone else's actions. Once again when we have the ability to read one's  expression and tone, this emotional arousal can be formed rationally. 

       We’re so unaware of the emotional drainage communicating in such a constructed format leaves us with. Habits can be hard to break, especially when there is an aspect of addiction to them, but when they harm us, we should consider a solution. Technology limits our ability to effectively communicate, but it can be used appropriately. Limit the texting, if you really want to have a conversation, facetime with them, and stop depleting your connections. I understand my ADHD could be a source of bias but my biggest struggle is hypersensitivity and hyper fixation; therefore, I have a more in depth understanding of how misconstrued conversation can become and therefore emotions when done in poor formats. 

Herb Scribner. “Teens rather talk through text than IRL, new survey finds.” Deseret News, deseret.com/2018/9/11/20653253/teens-rather-talk-through-text-than-irl-new-survey-finds/. Accessed 8 May 2024.

Lindner, Jannik. “Teenagers Texting Statistics: Market Report & Data • Gitnux.” Gitnux, gitnux.org/teenagers-texting-statistics/. Accessed 8 May 2024.

“Texting Anxiety: What It Is and How to Manage It in Relationships.” Brides, 19 March 2024, brides.com/story/texting-anxiety. Accessed 8 May 2024.