Well, while I was away, I still got to interact with some of them quite a bit! One of them is also a good RP buddy of mine and introduced me to Dreamwidth RP, so we still chatted a lot via a lesser known social media site people on Dreamwidth were using, and we got to RP with each other. As for another person, they're active on another forum I'm also active on, so we got to interact plenty there. I think I have both on Skype as well, but I've only interacted with one of them in a group chat. When I meant "lately" I meant within a span of a few months; I've been away from PC for ~two years. As for why we haven't chatted recently, I haven't had much RP muse so I've been away from the aforementioned social media site; don't really have a reason for why I haven't chatted with the other person, though like I said we do still speak to each other in a group chat.
Phone-wise, I never thought about exchanging numbers, but I have trouble talking on the phone, and I've never had texting privileges. (I can text/receive texts, but it costs extra to do so, and my parents--who are paying for my phone services--just can't afford it.) Thus, even if we did exchange numbers I probably would have a hard time calling them or speaking with them if they called me, haha.
I personally find it a lot easier because you're not initially judged by how you look or by body language (e.g., I have trouble making eye contact, let alone keeping it, so I tend to look around me a lot), but by the content of your posts, messages, etc. Additionally, I find it a lot easier to speak my mind. In real life, I'm not always the quickest thinker, so I find I often have trouble coming up with what I want to say on the spot. Online, I can usually take as much time as I need to organize and eloquently word my thoughts, and I can see how I worded them and adjust said wording at any given time.
