Dear Anna,

My girlfriend and I have been long distance for about a year, and one of the biggest points of tension between us is communication style. She only ever wants to text — she doesn’t like phone calls or FaceTime, even when we’re just catching up. The thing that really drives me up the wall, though, is that when we fight or need to work through something, she insists on handling it over text, too. That means these conversations drag out for hours, with long pauses between replies, misunderstandings piling up and no chance to hear tone of voice. I feel drained and frustrated by it, but she says it’s just the way she’s comfortable. I’m starting to wonder: is this a red flag about how she handles conflict, or is this just how Gen Z relationships work now? — Showing My Signs

Dear SMS,

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