To Text or Talk in Person? Social Anxiety, Media Affordances, and Preferences for Texting Over Face-To-Face Communication in Dating Relationships

Abstract

Collocated dating couples have the choice between interacting in person or via communication media, inviting theorizing about <i>when</i> and <i>why</i> they gravitate toward mediated communication. Drawing on O’Sullivan’s (2000) model, we investigated young adults’ preference for texting over face-to-face (FtF) communication in situations varying in threat (mundane talk vs. difficult conversations vs. breakups), as a function of individuals’ social anxiety and perceptions of media affordances. Results show that higher social anxiety predicted preferences for texting, and this relationship got stronger as relational episodes were more threatening. The perceived importance of editability mediated the relationship between social anxiety and preferences for texting under threatening circumstances. The results shed light on the factors that drive media preferences in relational contexts.