While that might sound great, a new Australian study says almost three in five people are getting in touch with friends and family less since the invention of Facebook.

If that's not bad enough, when we do contact our nearest and dearest more than 60 per cent of us choose to send a quick text instead of making a phone call.

The funny thing is that while we're texting more, the Virgin Mobile study shows 82 per cent of social media users think phone conversations make them feel more connected than messages from Facebook or Instagram.

So why aren't we just picking up the phone?

Rachel Clements, psychologist and director of the Centre for Corporate Health, says Australians have become reliant on texting.

"I think it's time-efficient: it might not be effective, but it's very efficient for people to shoot off an SMS and get a response back," says Clements, who is also a member of the R U OK? conversation think tank.

Clements says people might also find texting an easier option when it comes to talking about difficult topics such as mental health.

"I think sometimes it might be a safer option if people are concerned about checking in with someone about their wellbeing."

But just because texting is the easier option, it doesn't mean it's the best, and Clements says because text conversations lack proper depth the nature of relationships is changing.

"I think in terms of the quality of our relationships, perhaps they're not as deep, and that's where we know the true emotional support comes from, and secondly, I think people are actually losing their communication skills in some ways."

She says people are losing conversation skills to the extent that they don't know how to have conversations about challenging topics, or even just things any deeper than small talk.

"They say in the next five to 10 years there might be quite an epidemic of loneliness because of this, because people just aren't connecting as they used to," says Clements. "You might think you're connected, but it's just on that surface level."

The good news is, it's not too late to change your communication habits, and Clements says it starts with simply realising there's a problem.

"Be aware of your tendency to just shoot off an SMS. It might be efficient, but is it effective?"

The next step, she says, is to have the confidence to pick up the phone and make a call.

"If people can't talk then and there, arrange a time when you can actually talk to someone or make a time to go and chat with them and even see them face to face," Clements says. "Just challenge yourself: instead of sending a text, pick up the phone and talk to someone."

Clements says it's important to make the effort, particularly when you think a friend or family member might not be doing so well.

She suggests a great way to start is to open the conversation by expressing your concern for their welfare, and let them know you want to check how they're going.

"For many people, it's just the act of talking to a friend and providing that support and that connectedness," says Clements.

R U OK? Day is September 11.