Technology’s grip on the world is ruining our ability to exist without a screen. Emojis and punctuation do not do enough to correctly demonstrate the truth of someone’s words. Body language, tone of voice, and word choice give a sense of what someone’s intentions are, whether the purposes regard a friendship, relationship, or the point of a conversation.

Most people converse through technology; text messages, Snapchat, Instagram, etc. Technology gives us the ability to contact anyone at any time but also provides us with the opportunity to ignore notifications for as long as we can bear.

I have always hated expressing real, raw emotions through text messages. If technology must be involved, I prefer to make a call or Facetime. When you are texting someone, no matter what platform you are using, you have time to sit there and think about how you will respond. This time used to respond to any message can lead to deceiving responses. In other words, answers can be constructed based on the previous message, making sure that every point is responded to in a way that the person who sent the first message will be satisfied. Alongside this, texting does not allow you to see firsthand what conversations make someone uncomfortable, and the person you are conversing with may not be able to understand what makes you uncomfortable.

Talking on the phone or in person does not allow this kind of time to construct a false response. Being in person, hearing tones, and seeing body language forces us to respond immediately and say what is really on the heart.

If you feel someone isn’t being honest about their feelings or a situation, call them, or ask to meet up. Allow actual face-to-face time to better understand each other and resolve issues quickly.