Texting is becoming more normalized through having casual conversations with friends and loved ones, but what happens when there is a conflict between a romantic couple and they attempt to solve their disagreement via text messaging? The majority of research that currently exists on computer-mediated communication (CMC) discusses the use of email and online instant messaging (IM) technologies, through social networking sites (SNS), for relational conflict and maintenance purposes. This study is one of the only studies that attempts to explore how romantic partners utilize text messaging when navigating relational conflict, and the result that this text messaging has on conflict and relational outcomes. Results revealed that using texting to traverse conflict could yield both positive and negative relational outcomes. The relational outcome may be dependent on the message strategies used, either constructive or destructive, as well as the individual’s conflict style. Furthermore, replying to a conflict message quickly is more preferable during conflict, but latency to the message is associated with both positive and negative relational outcomes. Overall, this paper draws light on the complex nature of text messaging when attempting to handle romantic relationship conflict. Keywords: conflict, romantic relationships, computer-mediated communication (CMC), text messaging, conflict styles, response latency, relational satisfaction
