Does receiving text messages make you uncomfortable?

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Every time my phone vibrates, I am filled with a feeling of dread. When I turn my phone on each morning, I hold my breath, hoping desperately that the screen will not light up with a new message after several seconds of blackness. I hate text messaging. Receiving text messages and replying to them makes me feel indescribably uncomfortable, no matter whom I am contacting. Granted, text messages are not quite as bad as talking face to face, since they give me the opportunity to really think about how to respond, but I still feel horribly awkward. Does anyone else feel like this?

Not even a little. Text is the only form of communication that I can say I'm truly comfortable with.

Phone calls, on the other hand, absolutely paralyze me. Speaking in person to someone is a little less uncomfortable than phone calls. And signing, though comfortable, makes me feel slightly degraded, not sure why.

Well, they're better than a phone call (or, God forbid, a face-to-face conversation). But, they're worse than an e-mail. I say that because, while some amount of delay is appropriate in answering a text, people expect a more immediate response to a text than to an e-mail. More time to plan it out = more comfort for me. That said, electronic communications are something that I have to work at in order to discern people's meaning, motivation, etc. correctly. I always know my meaning, so it's not hard to put it into words and respond, per se. It sometimes happens, though, that I respond incorrectly because I haven't picked up on some subtlety or another. I used to blame people for not being good communicators; now I place more blame on myself for not being a good receiver of communications.

No, the only problem I have with text messages is when I get one completely unexpectedly in the middle of the day. My first thought is that I have forgotten something important and someone is angrily reminding me. E.g. "where r u? ur half an hour late!"

Not at all.
If you don't like it, just turn off your texting.

No, aside from the surprise from the vibration.

No, phone calls/text messages don't bother me.

If vibrate is off and the message incoming tone is not loud and frightening, I like getting them.

Only if it's from someone from I don't know.

Texts are easier for me to deal than phone calls anyway.

Texting is great! Better than a phone call every time!

It only makes me uncomfortable if people around me want to know who's texting me or who am I texting.

More like annoyed actually...I don't question any one texting in my presence. It's none of my business and mine is none of anybody's...unless I choose to share...which is seldom.

Perhaps you feel this way because text messages can be misinterpreted and you feel you need to edit the text message to death before having the courage to send it by which time it's too late to retrieve?

As for receiving them, perhaps it's the fear of misinterpreting the message yourself and then worrying about how to reply...which then brings you back to what I said above?...like a vicious circle isn't it?

Actually, I'd take a text message any time while I'd avoid talking on the phone if I could.

I love texting, although it's not as good as email. It's the sound of a phone ringing that fills me with dread.

Yes; I believe that sounds accurate. It's not technically receiving messages that bothers me (except for the aforementioned sudden beep or vibration), it is the fact that I am expected to respond. I have such difficulty thinking of proper replies. I never know whether to be serious, or if it's safer to lighten the mood with a brainless "Lol". As I said in my original post, texting is better than face-face conversation, because it gives me a little more time, but sometimes I feel that all the time in the world isn't enough. Plus, I hate text messaging because it's just one more way for people to reach me. I wish I could have been young in the 80's or 90's, before computers and cell phones were accessible to everyone....


For me, phone calls may be even worse than face-to-face conversations. At least when you're out in public, you can more or less expect someone to talk to you. To the contrary, phones allow you to be abruptly disturbed and startled in the privacy of your own home. Every time the telephone rings, I just want to scream and then hide under a rock for the rest of my life.

Oh yes, that is how I feel about it too. But a text message is something you can read more than once (instead of having to reply instantly, as it is in phone conversations) and is something you can always ignore (never got it, checked it too late, etc.).

Last edited by Severus on 04 Nov 2010, 6:26 pm, edited 1 time in total.

I despise talking on the phone (even more that face to face), i don't mind texting in general, it's just texting on my current phone (touchscreen with a digital qwerty, its always one key to the left or the up). Although i much prefer texting (or is the proper term IMing in this context?) on my pc.

I love texts.