Texting Toward Intimacy: Relational Quality, Length, and Motivations in Textual Relationships

Abstract

A textual relationship is defined as a relationship where intimacy with a partner is primarily sustained through text messaging. In a textual relationship, face-to-face (FtF) contact rarely, if ever, occurs. This study examines the quality of textual relationships and reasons for restricting communication to text-based channels. Participants completed an online survey about both a recently developed textual and a FtF relationship. Results indicate that the quality of participants’ FtF relationships surpassed that of their textual relationships; their texting relationships, however, were still generally above the scale midpoints for relational quality. Further, the effect of relationship type on relational quality was somewhat diminished for participants in long-term textual relationships.