Breakups are never easy. They’re usually extremely messy and complicated. Sometimes there is that one outlier and a breakup is clean, simple and easy. In a society whose communication is centered on technology, is it okay to breakup over text?
The answer is no; unless in an extreme circumstance and I’ll tell you why. Once you are in a relationship with somebody, you have dedicated a substantial amount of time to be with them. Nowadays we talk to the person we want to date for a minimum of a month, then start dating and then use the label of boyfriend/girlfriend.
Sometimes this process takes even longer and can go up to six months. Once you have invested this amount of time in a person you want everything to go smoothly but once there is the elephant in the room and you need to breakup do it face to face. To me, breaking up with someone over text is cowardice.
You never get to fully confront the person you have been with and they never get anything more than a “We’re over” text. Also, if we’re being honest here most people would not reply back if they asked, “Oh Why?” We would leave them on read an only a few brave souls would reply. Talking face to face to your past significant other gives them the chance to ask “Why?” and we are forced to sit there and tell them why it did not work out. We get a chance to tell them the reasons why we are truly upset.
A text to break up with someone is also just plain disrespectful. You’re basically telling your past significant other that you don’t want to go out of your way or make time to really break up with them even though, you put in months and months or maybe even years of hard work to be with them.
And after the time you’ve spent together you would think a conversation face to face would be worth it. You have put in time since first talking and then to person. Breaking up in person also, helps us gain more confidence and makes us feel better about public speaking. Once you go up to your significant other and explain why the relationship is ending you both feel bad but in the long run it makes you feel much better.
Breaking up with someone face to face can build confidence that is needed to confidence to talk in an interview or wherever because breaking up with someone could be so much harder than that. Also, face to face breakups really make us stop hiding behind our laptops. When we use our phones to breakup with someone we’re desensitizing ourselves to other people’s feelings.
But this is not to say that in extreme cases we cannot breakup over text. However, there may be extraneous circumstances where face to face contact in not the best idea. Maybe the relationship was abusive or there was a horrible fight. Those are the only times it is acceptable to break up over text because you or others may be in danger and we should use technology to our advantage there.
