Breaking up is supposed to be hard to do, but young Australian couples have found an easy solution - send a text message and move on. Research shows young romantics are increasingly using SMS text messages to manage, and even end, their relationships.
Macquarie University researcher Natalie Robinson studied the texting habits of 100 young people aged 18-35 and found SMS messaging increased when relationships were beginning or going through a rocky period.
Robinson said couples, fearing rejection, wanted to avoid direct contact when their relationships were strained.
"People used text messages to show their negative feelings rather than talking face-to-face," she said. "This might be because text messages were less confrontational and more distant."
The clinical psychologist said she was surprised to find 15 percent of participants had dumped a partner via text messages.
Robinson said one of her friends had been ditched in a text message and found it an unpleasant experience.
"She was very angry because it was so impersonal and because they had been together for a couple of years," she said.
Overall, women were more likely to send texts telling their partner how they were feeling, while men were more comfortable with practical texts such as "I'll pick up dinner on the way home".
Robinson said people often used texts to keep tabs on partners who were out socialising with friends, creating the potential for friction.
"The receiver of this message may interpret this in a number of ways, such as, 'my partner cares about me and just wants to know what I am doing' or alternatively, 'my partner is suspicious and doesn't trust me and wants to know what I am doing'," she said.
