Checks And Chemical Imbalances.

One of my current first world peeves includes the sent, delivered, and received indicators on messaging applications for smart phones. The two big ones in particular are whatsapp and kik, I find myself in a perpetual struggle to direct my attention away from them. They add an agonizing level of suspense to every conversation, and when on the receiving end they add an overwhelming obligation to reply to every message a friend gifts you. I feel as though I’ve been robbed of my anonymity, and the sanctity of a lie has been turned to rubbish. I can no longer say, “I was away from my phone, I didn’t see your message.” or, “My phone was off, sorry.”

Although, the worst part is not the fact I can no longer lie to other people about not getting their messages, I mean honestly I don’t have people beating down my e-door to speak to me anyway. I think the worst part about these indicators surrounds the fact that I know when others read my messages and don’t respond. It’s seated a deep insecurity into every message I send. Whether it’s texting loved ones or aquaintances alike, I find myself either resenting someone, or assuming another person resents me. “Have I said something wrong?”, “Am I being judged?”, “What kind of problem does this guy have with me now?”, or “Is he/ she avoiding me?”. Either way you cut it the byproduct of these seemingly insignificant indicators create more tension in my everyday conversations than I’ve ever felt when communicating with the online population. It’s as if I’m communicating with a person who selectively toggles a “Helen Keller Switch”, and is no longer capable of giving a response or answering a question.

There really is no perk to this feature, unless you need to tell if someone is ignoring you, and even then you would be able to use deductive reasoning to work that one out. Let’s face it, if you send someone a message 3 times a day for 3 days straight, and they haven’t responded, then that person is likely avoiding you. I suppose it could also be helpful in determining if someone’s phone is off, being that the indicator signifies if the message was delivered or just sent from your end. The thing is, that’s essentially useless information because eventuality that person will get to a charging port or a place with adequate coverage. Even if you wanted to do without the perks of this system, it doesn’t matter because there is no option in the settings menus for these applications to turn the indicator features off.

As a result of these texting applications implementing this abominable utility, I find myself in a constant and consistent state of discomfort if people aren’t replying to my messages. There is no more privacy, and they’ve ruined the classic avoidance lies. On top of that, most of my friends demand the use of these applications. So I guess I will be stuck consistently fighting the urge to apologize, or inquire about the other person’s mood. I’ll continue being stuck feeling like a clingy overzealous teenager waiting impatiently by the phone for his first girlfriend to call with hormone infused self doubt. I used to have an aloof approach to chatting with my online friends, now I’m just uncomfortable. I suppose the next step is to send a strongly worded email to the inbox of a feedback address listed on the “contract us” page of whatsapp’s website.

That’s enough ranting for today, it really is.