Relationships with the opposite sex charachterized by lengthy text message conversations, where two people in a more commited, long term relationship may have summed it up in a two minute phone conversation; Courtship period where a phone call may seem too forward, texting is more comfortable.
Flirting, maintaining a romantic relationship via a text message from a cell phone, an email, or a postal mail letter, such as pen pals or maintenance of a long distance relationship. Textual relations are often used when two people feel the need to carefully choose their words; when thought and careful composition of thought over a longer period of time are required; when the fear of spoken conversation may be misunderstood or taken in the wrong context.
I use my word processor to carefully compose my thoughts before sending my messages out to any of my textual relations.