Common online (and in-person) advice encourages women to be kind of passive when it comes to the “texting game.”

What Is the “Waiting Game,” and Why Is It a Bad Idea?

 It usually tells them to wait a few days or simply not text a guy until he texts first. Another bit of prevalent (and inane) advice recommends waiting before responding to texts. Just because he didn’t text you back for a few hours doesn’t mean you need to wait for the same amount of time before you respond.

Well, guess what? The advice for guys is the same! Go online and have a look around for dating advice geared toward males. Men are encouraged just as much as women to feign disinterest and wait until the other party “chases” them.

Do you see why there might be a problem there?
The “Waiting Game” Can Keep Two Interested People Hanging
We’ve turned into a society of people who are too afraid to show interest in each other. Both men and women might think that they’re “playing the game,” but this is what’s really happening:

Her: Oh my gosh, I really like him, but I don’t want to seem like I like him too much. It’ll make me look bad, like I’m less of a prize. It’ll make him think that other men aren’t competing for my attention and that I’m desperate for him. This will make him not respect me. Let me just wait by the phone and pretend I’m only casually interested.
Him: Hm, she seemed really interesting and I’m really attracted to her, but I don’t want to seem like I’m one of those guys who doesn’t have other girls lined up. Women like it when guys act aloof, right? Let me wait by the phone and see if she gets back to me first.

And this is how two people who like each other hide their real feelings instead of being upfront.

Why do people feel the intense need to hide these positive feelings, though? What’s with the paranoia about seeming “too desperate”?

One word: ego. A human being will use any excuse to protect his or her ego from social annihilation.

You can rationalize it all you want, but at the end of the day, you are afraid of rejection. You don’t want to look bad. You don’t want to seem like you don’t have other options. You don’t want to build the other person up too much by admitting that you like them. You want the other person to view you in a certain light more than you want an honest connection.
Is Sending the First Text Coming On Too Strong?
Now, is there such a thing as coming on too strong? Of course! There are legitimately creepy things that you can do to seem genuinely desperate—but texting a guy first is not one of them.
All you’re doing is sending a text message. It’s not like you’re climbing into his window in the middle of the night depositing rose petals all over his bed while he’s sleeping. As long as you’re not doing anything weird like that, there are plenty of great reasons why you should text him first.

source http://tasboy.com/common-online-and-in-person-advice-encourages-women-to-be-kind-of-passive-when-it-comes-to-the-texting-game/