I will be the first to admit it. I would much rather text someone than pick up a phone and call them.

I didn’t grow up with technology. I didn’t even own a cell phone until my early 30s. I grew up with a phone that had a cord long enough to reach across the width of the house. I spent hours talking to friends on the phone. In junior high my girlfriends and I would sit around the phone, daring each other to call the boys we liked.

Now? Most of the time I won’t even answer the phone if it rings. Call it being an introvert. Call it having three kids and zero privacy. Call it convenience. Call it not having to talk to annoying people trying to sell me something. Call it what you will, but I love my iPhone, least of all because it’s a phone.

A recent survey conducted by business solutions provider, LivePerson, Inc., has found that 7 in 10 Millennials and Gen Zs prefer texting over talking. Why is no one surprised by this? Could it be because everywhere you look people are staring down at their phones, thumbs flying?

They polled more than 4,000 people between the ages of 18 and 34 across six countries – the US, the UK, Australia, France, Germany, and Japan. The purpose behind the study was clear. According to a press release, LivePerson’s head of communications and research Rurik Bradbury states:

“We wanted to look more closely at the younger consumer audience, across different countries, and in more depth than the well-known trope that young people love their smartphones.”

What they found? Young people really do love their smartphones. When respondents were asked to choose between the phone app or the messaging/SMS app on their phones, 69.4 percent chose messaging. In the US? 73.4 percent chose messaging.

Apparently I’m not the only one who hates talking on the phone.

The survey also found that almost 62 percent would rather forget their wallet over their phone when going out. Better hope that they are meeting up with someone from the 38 percent group who would rather have their wallet.

Millennials and Gen Zs also like to have their phones with them while they’re sleeping and going to the bathroom. You never know when someone might text you something really important at 3 a.m. And the bathroom? Every parent knows it’s the only place you get any privacy.

While texting is an easy way to communicate, it is not without peril. It can be misinterpreted. Feelings can get hurt. Relationships can suffer. A middle finger emoji can accidentally be used instead of a pointing emoji. A text can be sent to the wrong person.

Autocorrect can make things awkward. “Doing” becomes “dong,” “hungry” becomes “horny,” “pringles” becomes “pregnant.”

Texting can be emotionally stressful. When you’re in the middle of a text conversation and the three dots disappear with no response, you wonder, “What happened? Is everything okay? Did I say something wrong?” It’s an emotional roller coaster.

There are times when texting isn’t appropriate. Please, for the love of all that is sacred in the dating world, don’t break up with someone via text, unless they’re crazy. Don’t text your ex. Don’t text while driving. Don’t text when you’re angry. Don’t text when you’re in the middle of a romantic dinner. Don’t text when you’re having a conversation with someone else.

If you have an emergency, need to discuss something important, or your teenager is out past curfew, pick up the dang phone!

While texting is convenient and safer for those of us who hate confrontation, face-to-face interaction is still necessary to foster intimacy and a deeper connection with people. If you want to avoid becoming completely socially awkward? Look into someone’s eyes and have a conversation.

But if you want to get together for coffee? Send me a text.