You can turn off the bubbles! You can also turn them back on whenever you like.

Here’s how:

1. Click the down-arrow on the right end of the Compose button and select Chat, or click the # Online link next to Contacts on the left side of the page to open a conversation tab.
2. In the toolbar along the top of this window, click View.
3. Click Standard Text. That’s it – done! To bring the bubbles back, return to this menu and click Speech Bubbles.