Msn and SMS make us worst communicators?

Im sure most of you folks have friends who sound totally different online and offline. Some of you have even made friends online with a perceived image of them until you actually met them face to face. Ive been trying to convince my buddy that being coped up at home using sms and Msn actually make him worst off when communicating with friends and loved ones or even strangers face to face. We have to take into consideration; tone, facial expressions and body language which are absent in the cyber or digital world! He doesnt believe me and tells me that the using the internet or handphone to communicate has more pros than cons. I feel that this belief of his is holding him back in his social life since he doesnt actually step out of the house to meet people. I mean even a phone call makes a difference compared to a stiff cold sms. I dont know if im being old-fashioned or "tech noob" but what do you guys think?