These are meaningful mementos of a happy, social life. An article on a topic I'd discussed with a colleague a meme I knew would make my friend laugh a random happy memory of a relative. All of them are more personal and non-urgent. I peeked at a few Slacks and emails that I abandoned. More interesting though are the ones that never get sent. Why am I sorry? For asking a question I need an answer to? I probably only send half the ones I start, and the ones that do make it out the drafts folder inevitably begin with an apology. These days I question every message I send, especially if I know I'm rolling the dice on a flakey replier. Why send a message if not for the hope or need for a reply? Remove that expectation or label it rude and you transform the humble act of initiating conversation into a fraught and unnecessarily vulnerable endeavor. Ghosting should be the exception, not the rule. Where I draw the line is the increasingly popular idea that it’s no longer normal-and might even be rude-to expect a reply at all. Broadway legend Pattie Lupone has no business responding to my gushy DMs. I even agree, to an extent, that just because you receive a message from someone, doesn’t mean you’re on the hook to answer it. I’m sensitive to the fact that we are in uncharted territory when it comes to communication and that the rules that guided our behavior in the world before smartphones should no longer apply. In other words, technology has developed faster than etiquette, leaving people to wonder how long is too long to sit on an email, and if it's more rude to ignore a text or expect a reply. Ghosting has gone way too far.Īccording to the people who study this stuff, one of the reasons my close friends and loved ones never text me back is because society is yet to agree upon a new set of rules for communicating in an era of 24/7 digital availability. I know the world views me as a monster, but I refuse to chill, because of a belief held deep in my bones. In a world where it’s acceptable to never reply to a person’s message, I’m barreling into your DMs and asking in all-caps IF YOU GOT MY TEXT. I’m that friend that immediately responds to texts the pesky coworker who Slacks you paragraphs back the psycho who still attempts to reply to emails in a timely fashion. First, a confession: I’m an incessant communicator.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |