We're smitten with technology. And we're afraid, like young lovers, that too much talking might spoil the romance. But it's time to talk.

What I'm seeing is a generation that says consistently, 'I would rather text than make a telephone call.' Why? It's less risky. I can just get the information out there. I don't have to get all involved; it's more efficient. I would rather text than see somebody face to face.

Because you can text while doing something else, texting does not seem to take time but to give you time. This is more than welcome; it is magical.

Does virtual intimacy degrade our experience of the other kind and, indeed, of all encounters, of any kind?

What is so seductive about texting, about keeping that phone on, about that little red light on the BlackBerry, is you want to know who wants you.

It’s a way of life to be always texting and when you looks at these texts it really is thoughts in formation. I do studies where I just sit for hours and hours at red lights watching people unable to tolerate being alone. Its as though being along has become a problem that needs to be solved and then technology presents itself as a solution to this problem…Being alone is not a problem that needs to be solved. The capacity for solitude is a very important human skill.

Teenagers would rather text than talk. They feel calls would reveal too much.