When did it become acceptable to deliver important information via text?

I realize I’m getting older and I fall into a category now that I may not be too fond of called “old fashioned”.  Although I don’t feel that to be an appropriate categorization for someone that’s an advocate of COMMON DECENCY, but in this digital and completely non-conversational era that I find myself in… I guess I am old-fashioned because I would NEVER deliver any news to a friend via text that so obviously needs to be said face-to-face.  Or hell, at the very least, on the telephone.  And anyone that knows me knows that I have an irrational discord of talking on the phone so if I’m dialing you to have an uneasy exchange you should know how necessary it is.  There comes a time when you put your big girl panties on (I hate the word panties) and use your actual voice to tell your so-called GREAT friend that you can’t fulfill a previously agreed upon situation that will greatly affect said great friend’s day-to-day life.  Yeah.  Call me crazy, but… it’s absolutely not okay.  I realize it’s difficult to tell someone you care for something she most definitely doesn’t want to hear, but TOUGH SHIT.  Welcome to the land of adults where you do shit that you don’t WANT to do because it’s the RIGHT thing to do.  So, basically in a very vague nutshell I lost a great friend without ever interacting with her through the entire situation because it wasn’t necessary in her eyes.  I’m guessing.  I can’t say for sure because…  I haven’t actually TALKED to her.  In almost a month.  But she texts me.  She won’t return any of my calls.  Or immediately answer any of my texts.  Does anyone else think this is as nutzo as I do?!  I’ve really been trying to wrap my mind around this.  I mean, what it really comes down to (in my old-fashioned mind) is this chick must’ve so badly NOT wanted to deal with my reaction to said situation that she would rather put me off, and put me off, and put me off so I would (being the smart person that I am) figure out what was happening FOR MYSELF without her ever actually confirming it for me until almost three weeks after the fact.  That or she has very little respect for me as a person.  Honestly, how do you continue a friendship with someone who would rather avoid a perceived confrontation by avoiding me all together, then deal with a difficult conversation head on?  Clearly my friendship means very little to her.  I’m baffled.  And I’m hurt.  Now you all have to hear me rant about it.  

How the fuck are people so impersonal these days?  How can so many people lack basic social skills, be so disconnected from each other, so removed from personal interaction?  How can you end a relationship via text?!?!  Does this happen in the dating world now?  If so, I am SOOOOOOOO happy to be married and not dealing with the douche lords that deal with such a delicate situation so insensitively.  People deserve face-to-face interaction, no?  So, in theory, by the time Mighty’s old enough to date I guess the courting process will occur completely through Skype because a real night out at a dinner table would be way too intimidating.  Which leads me to another thing…  Why do people go out to restaurants and bars with other people if all they are going to do is be on their phones?  People seem to have no intentions of actually conversing with one another.  I can’t stand seeing people out having a meal with other people, yet every person at the table has her face focused firmly on her phone and NO ONE is talking or interacting with the people right IN FRONT of them because they’re too busy in their virtual reality to take part in REAL reality. 

Have you ever seen the Pixar film Wall-E?  You know when the robot (Wall-E) boards the ship with all the super large, almost completely immobile residents that hardly know each other exists because they’re too busy being scooted around in large recliners, eating junk and watching a screen that’s permanently perched five inches from their faces?  The people that have to relearn how to walk and have no clue what a plant is?  Yeah, that’s what I see the future to be with the way things are panning out.  It’s very Orwellian dystopia, but in animation… and regarding social ineptness among other things. Okay, I’m done.  Just please do ME a favor and don’t be the person that communicates important information through a text when you so clearly have the time (and hopefully the decency and respect) to TALK to someone you care about in person or at least on the phone because otherwise you’re never going to be taken seriously.  Ever.