I've had a group of friends online for the past few years who I've only verbally spoken to once (hi if you're one of them). Other than that one time in the very beginning, I've been perfectly fine just communicating to them through text, and that's how it's been for pretty much any person I've met online since then. If I'm talking to someone through the internet, it's probably via text, even if they're speaking.
But why is that? I mean, I had to ask myself that question to try to find an answer. One reason would be because I care alot about privacy online in both securing my data, but also just creating a separation between the internet and my real life. I feel like a lot of people are way too open with sharing specific, identifiable information online and don't have enough of a divide between their real life and online.
Other than that, there's one more reason I can think of as to why I find it easier to just message people. I know I can be articulate when talking to close friends or family in real life. Under those circumstances, not only am I able to, for the most part, clearly communicate my ideas and thoughts in my speech, but the ideas and thoughts themselves are more meaningful. What I mean by that is a little hard to describe so I'll do my best.
When writing or talking to my family, for example, the depth in which I can think and process things is what I would think to be a 'normal' level. Speak to an acquaintance or someone new, and I gradually lose that depth to the point where there's so much other stuff I have to worry about, there's not really enough room left for me to consider what we're talking about on any meaningful level. When talking to people, I constantly take into account things like 'What's my tone and is it appropriate for the situation? How am I pronouncing words? Am I too loud? Too quiet? Probably. What other ways could what I want to say be perceived? Is my body language appropriate? Do my facial expressions make sense? When should I say something to fit the flow of this conversation? How should I enunciate different syllables?' and EYE CONTACT.
All of that & more combined with what I can only assume is social anxiety makes speaking to people such an elaborate and exhausting performance that, a lot of the time, I barely have any room left in my shit brain to really think about the content of the conversation. When I'm alone later, I'll be kicking myself for not having thought of things to say in the moment that should have been so easy to come up with.
In contrast, communication through text has been so much easier for me and lets me engage on a level closer to when I'm alone or with my close friends/family if that makes any sense at all. Of course, a lot of what I listed doesn't necessarily apply to calling, but calls come with their own challenges as well. One I can think of off the top of my head is what I think has to do with the lack of voice proximity. When I've been in a call with more than four or so people, it's not like somoene can be closer or farther away to be louder or quieter. Everyone being equally loud and clear can make it a little overwhelming to understand or focus on what any one person is saying, and it can kinda turn a conversation into a barrage of sound. What's the point of even saying anything at all in an environment like that?
Anyways, my point is that I don't have to worry or think about ANY of that when I can just message people instead. I've read about people having issues with things like texting in the past because of its limited ability to convey certain things, but for me, those limitations in comparison to a voice call or speaking in person are what make it so much better for me.