Great topic. It is such a relief to read this thread and see that there is understanding on both sides about the fact that we're all leading full and complex lives. Context does shape my communication preferences. Unless our date is that day, one can possibly expect a time lapse of a few hours or more. Not all the time as very often I do respond within a couple of hours or less.
When it comes to first contact, I do prefer a mindful email. If someone is a stranger to me and they send a text without any verification information, there's an 80% or greater chance my response time will be
never.