How many relationships have been ruined by the use of recent technology?

Honestly, no. Technology has, no occasion, exacerbated a problem a bit, but there have been no relationships where it’s been a problem that didn’t already have some pretty serious communication issues that would have been taken down by it eventually.

I’ve had the “this isn’t a text conversation” policy forever. I don’t think that’s an issue of maturity, but rather being mature about your relationships. (note – I’m not saying you are immature, @ninjacolin).

The policy has prevented this very thing – because I’ve been in text talks where it clearly was heading to a damaging place.

I don’t text.
I like to be clear in what I say and don’t like to guess at what someone else is feeling.
I would rather have a face to face conversation.

@iamthemob no.. I think you’re right. It was clearly immature of me to give it a try. Now that I went through it, however, I can confidently say: I’ve matured beyond texting! well.. as far as serious conversations go anyway.

Sweet holy moly, as we rely more on IMing, texting and such to communicate there is a greater danger of the conversation taking a life of its own. When in the printed media as texting the inflection, context or tone of the author is not always easy to read. If they were trying to make a joke it might not come off that way because you have to facial reflection or mannerisms to denote the tone or context of the phrase words, etc. I have always told my fiancée if there is a realy serious conversation we need to have we are having it face-to-face so no words get lost in the exchange or the context mistaken.

My oldest wss constantly staring at his phone texting or on the ‘puter facebooking. We still hang out and all but not like we used to. I didn’t have to ask for his time, it was the opposite before. Limits have since been established.

Not only problems with communications, but different dramas, too. I just had to cheer up one of the younger girls at the office – someone tagged photos of her and her ex on FB and they magically appeared on her profile. They were taken over a year ago, she was sitting on his lap… and guess who told her about these pictures of her “with some guy” – her current lover. It started quite a fight and the poor little thing was in tears the whole afternoon. I personally find it quite silly, but what can you do about it? ;-)