@gindi @chrismak @mekkaokereke Shallower than talking on the phone? I doubt it. Okay, you can't get vocal inflection, but you _can_ send memes, GIFs, and all kinds of other things that make the communication channel at least as rich.
I've formed pretty good friendships with people over text-only connections. (Been online since the '90s.) It's about what people are willing to share of themselves, not the medium they connect through.