Communication Style: Are You Like Facebook or Twitter in Your Relationships?

Hang around long enough and things that were once new and shiny, like social media, become a part of your everyday life. Remember a few years ago when movies/sitcoms would mention Facebook or Twitter and it would get a laugh? Currently, we don't notice such dialogue because Facebook and Twitter are everywhere. And when something becomes an occurrence, they will translate into habits--whether they come from work or play, it will seep into our lives. How many times a day do you update your Facebook status? Or do you prefer the quick 140 characters of Twitter to relay your main idea?

When it comes to relationships, how do you communicate effectively?

 If social media has taught us anything, it's to shorten up your message or you get lost in translation. When you're having a bad day, do you wait for your partner/boyfriend/significant other to get home and update your status with them using the long-winded language Facebook still allows? It seems like you can go on for days communicating your message and never reach the main idea/point. Or are you the type that quickly gets to the punch and moves on? Because women can access language on both the right and the left side of the brain's hemisphere, it often explains why they are more detail-oriented when recounting their daily events. Men, generally, are the opposite, which is why you will continue to hear the argument, "Why doesn't he ever express himself?"

We sometimes mistake our partners for shrinks/therapists/best friends/and convert them into communication paunching bags. 

True, they're in your corner and should be willing to hear you out (relationships are about the good, the bad, the ugly) but are you taking advantage of that sympathetic ear? Unfortunately, there is no magic formula or category list of what topics in a relationship would be Facebook-like or Twitter-like in nature, it's as unique as your relationships, but if you pay attention, you should start to see some patterns arise and tailor your communication style for relationship-effectiveness. In a time when communication is easily supported by hand-held devices and almost anything electronic, are you sacrificing the amount of meaning in your relationship because of the amount of words in your meaning?