Texting Rules

I was talking to a friend today and she mentioned how she felt like she now had the upper hand with a guy, because she was waiting 30 minutes or longer to respond to his texts, while he responded immediately. Isn't it strange how texting has almost replaced calling, at least for young people? Girls (I'm not certain about guys) actually think about how long they should wait before responding to a text message, in order to strike the right balance between seeming interested, yet not too eager. Aren't we supposed to achieve this by face-to-face flirtation? Wouldn't it be easier to tell if someone is interested by paying attention to body language, rather than one's punctuation and the amount of time passed since the text was sent?

For instance, not only do guys not call before Wednesday to make weekend plans, they definitely do not text before Wednesdays for the weekend. My friends and I are pleasantly surprised if we get texts before 6 p.m. of the same night the guy wants to "meet up" or "hang out." It is pathetic. My grandma tells me that in her day, if a guy didn't call by Wednesday for a weekend date, a girl would say she already had plans, even if she didn't. That way, the guy would realize that other guys want to take her out and he needed to be more proactive next time.

I'm thinking that maybe that's the secret: not being so available. I know it's not a new revelation, but cell phones, particularly text messages and bbm, has made contacting people so easy. If I get a text message on a Tuesday, I would never wait until the following day to respond. It almost seems like that would defeat the purpose. And if I send someone a bbm, I can see when they read it. We are also never without our cell phones. I don't think this is a good thing. For instance, we probably wouldn't have the guts to "drunk-dial" someone's apartment number, for fear of waking someone up, or the embarrassment of what it would sound like the following day. On the other hand, sending a four word text message at 3 a.m. involves barely any risk. It is discreet and casual. The popularity and preference of text messages over phone calls makes me worried about the future of communication.