Breaking Up Via SMS
We live in an age where a simple SMS can help us arrange dinner with friends, catch up with family, enter competitions and even order a pizza. A recent AT&T survey found that 59% of active daters use text messaging to chat with their dates. It’s little wonder, then, that SMS has become a popular communication device in the dating world – and that includes telling your partner that it’s over.
Here’s another percentage: A clinical psychologist estimated that 15% of her study volunteers have dumped a partner via SMS. Young lovers are often guilty of perpetuating this trend; due to age and lack of experience in romantic relationships, they resort to impersonal, prompt text messaging to break it off. As non-confrontational as this method may be, it denotes immaturity and a lack of respect for the dumpee.
Whether your relationship has lasted three months or three years, honesty is always the best policy. It takes courage, but talking face-to-face is a more appropriate way of ending a relationship that isn’t working. It will give both parties an opportunity to share their feelings about the dissolving union, and possibly open a troubleshooting discussion. Even if you walk away from it sans partner, you’ll have done the honorable thing, and exhibited the respect and maturity that the SMS dumpers do not have.
Reference: Textually
Reference: Sydney Morning Herald
June 6th, 2007 at 1:03 am
Being broken up with in person can be a positive experience, because it gives you the opportunity to find out why the relationship failed. Being dumped by a non-confrontational method leaves you with no true indication as to the reasons behind the break-up.
June 6th, 2007 at 1:42 am
Here, here! While I’ve thankfully never been on the receiving end of one of these gutless text messages, I can only guess how confusing and heartbreaking it must be. Anyone who has been dumped by this cowardly method can only take comfort in the knowledge that this person clearly isn’t deserving of their affections!
June 14th, 2007 at 5:16 pm
This is just cold and cowardly! I don’t have much use for texting (okay, so I’m older and out of it! :-)) but if you are into it, do not deliver bad news via a text — you owe the other person at least a call or face to face meeting.