What's the Deal with Non-Verbal Communication??

I am probably the last person on earth to have finally given in and added on to my cell phone subscription that additional $4.99/mo. for unlimited text messaging. I did it begrudgingly, but my hand was forced and it wasn't because I am addicted to my "crackberry". (I don't even own one). It's because of the numerous texts I receive. I get charged for these short and to the point messages from friends saying "b there soon" or "tnx for lunch". It used to be infrequent enough that 10cents per message never added up past $4.99 and I avoided ever texting back so that I didn't rack up the additional 10 cents per message - until two things happened:
1) AT&T became Cingular became The NEW AT&T and my 10 cent texts became 15 cents a pop.
2) These brief tidbits of information via text became important and vital messages in need of answers or my attention. (ie. "Run 2day @ 11am-beach?", or "can I go w/u 2 the party?")

I have many times considered not responding. I have many times not responded. But people then text me again thinking I never got the message while in the back of their minds cursing me out for being rude. Truth? Well I think texting is totally RUDE!

Let me take that blanketed statement and reign it in for you. Sometimes texting is a life saver. For instance: I lost my phone once and when i got my new one my sister texted me all the numbers she had so I could quickly save them into my new phone in one shot. Another time, it was way past 11pm and I got a text asking if I was awake so my friend could call me to chat about something important. Or, there is good old Google.com text service that provides things like driving directions, restaurant names and vital information right to your phone when you are on the go and away from the net. In times like these, texting makes sense.

In this day & age, I am forced to conform. I have. (see this months cell phone statement for proof). But I refuse to be flattered when a guy texts me "plans 2nite?" or "had a gr8 time! Hv a gr8 week!!!!!!!" I mean, if he can text 5 million exclamation points- can't he have dialed that amount of numbers and said that into my voicemail? or (gasp) to me in person?

Okay, so before I make myself LOOK as if I have all these guys texting me for dates and such- let me be more truthful about it. The reason why it fries me so much is that there just isn't that kind of action going on regularly and so when it just so happens that a member of the opposite sex expresses interest in acquiring my digits and uses them only to TEXT it's insulting. I know that it takes effort and precious time to form sentences and conversations via the telephone or - gasp - face to face . . . but whatever happened to good old fashioned communication?

Two guys I dated asked me out for the first time via email with: COFFEE????? in the subject line. Can you believe that? Two in a row! I remember getting those emails and my heart stopped because I was floored they were asking, and ticked they'd done it over email. But I went out with them anyway so whatever. At least they asked. (And only after I accepted did they ask for my number.) Seems backward no?

Still, now I am hearing more and more about how single girlfriends of mine have been asked to "COFFEE?????" over text, and how others have relationship DTR's or breakups over text. I used to think that breaking up over email or on the phone was harsh- but via text? Come on . . . you aren't even spelling full words at that point! Have we really made communication that unimportant?

On the other hand, there is the whole "say it without words" communication (aka flirting) that I apparently haven't quite grasped the language of either. In areas and situations I think I am blatantly flirting, I'll be shocked to discover that third parties observe a "disdain" or "closed off" air about me, and in other situations, I'll be shocked to discover where I just knew the second party was flirting wildly- he was merely being friendly and totally uninterested in anything beyond friends - cuz you know, "she's cool and funny but it ain't like that."

I suppose in the midst of situations like these, I shouldn't be watching old movies where the man directly announces his intentions first to the woman (object of his affection) and second- to her protective father- and he does this -gasp- in person! Somewhere, somehow, someone thought up the direct approach- even if it is fiction. At least it's an idea!

What if all the girls in all the world stopped responding to text dates? What if all the girls in all the world stopped expressing their affections and wants by posting comments next to sexy pictures they took of themselves on MySpace? What if all the girls in all the world stopped carrying a cell phone? What if all the girls in all the world became oblivious to the game of flirtation and non-verbal cues? What would happen?

I am beginning to think that it'd bring on the Apocalypse.

...hi m8 u k? sry 4gt 2 cal u lst nyt y dnt we go c film 2moz