A text message means you are probably more than a casual acquaintance because you have exchanged cell phone numbers. An e-mail might signal something more formal that doesn’t need an immediate response. Texting, chatting and even “liking” something on Facebook are often less about the actual discussion and more about the act of being in touch.

…The theory goes that if you chat and tweet all the time, you can’t possibly have time for embodied relationships. But texting a friend while sautéing veggies doesn’t force us to choose one or the other.

Increasing forms of communication can actually enhance already deepened connections.

“Technology becomes a real asset for relationships that have already been established,” says Glenn Sparks, a communication professor at Purdue University. “There’s no question that the use of this technology is giving us a sense of perpetual connection in relationships in a way that we couldn’t have before.”

The ever-increasing forms of contact keep us on our toes as we respond to a text message or deliberate whether to send an e-mail. For instance, if you want to send me that hilarious YouTube video — “I didn’t know sneezing baby pandas were so adorable!” — you could find at least 10 different ways to get my attention.

Of course, the chosen medium might send an underlying message. A text message means you are probably more than a casual acquaintance because you have exchanged cell phone numbers. An e-mail might signal something more formal that doesn’t need an immediate response.

Bailey, a native of Indianapolis, is online editor for Christianity Today. Read More:

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