| This study examined the relationship between text messaging and social support which included variables of age, closeness, frequency of texting, facework, and person-centeredness to determine if any of these influence receiver's perceptions of competence of the message. Recruited through Facebook, adult organizations, coffee shop patrons, and university First Year Experience classes, 120 participants completed a survey either online or in paper form. Results suggest that closeness affects the receiver's perceptions of appropriateness and emotional effectiveness in face-to-face messages. Coding of open-ended responses revealed that the majority of text messages in this study contained positive politeness strategies. In addition, highly person-centered messages (both text and face-to-face) were perceived as more appropriate than medium and low person-centered messages. No relationship was found between competence and age, or texting frequency. |
