Trying to learn annoying things not to do over text messages? Here is your personal Texting Etiquette 101. Texting, which is a still a relatively new form of communication, has slowly been taking over our lives. It has overtaken face-to-face contact and speaking on the phone as the most popular and widely used form of daily communication among friends and family. However, with it came inevitable problems that would otherwise not occur if it weren’t for this non-verbal contact. So here are some of the most pervasive and annoying things not to do over text messages.
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Taking Hours to Reply
One of the first annoying things not to do over text messages is take hours to reply to one text, especially to an important one. It is one thing when you genuinely didn’t have time to check your phone and it is another thing when you saw the text and just decided not to reply! Apple iPhones now have this feature which allows senders to know when their text has been read, so if you have this feature on, make sure to reply as soon as you see the text. Otherwise you can cause a great deal of annoyance.
Responding with One Word Texts
Aside from not answering at all, the second to worst thing that you can do is answer with one-word texts. We all know the notorious and most hated text of “K,” but how is anyone even supposed to answer to that? It’s an automatic conversation killer that adds no input into the conversation and only causes tension!
One-word texts are the digital equivalent of someone turning away in the middle of a conversation. It screams indifference and lack of interest. Sure, we get it—life is busy, and sometimes you’re in a hurry. But a continuous trend of single-word answers can leave the other person feeling undervalued. If you’re truly swamped, a better approach would be to explain your current situation. Even something as simple as "Busy now, chat later?" shows consideration and sets the expectation that the conversation is to be continued, rather than leaving them staring at their phone, feeling dismissed.
Frequently asked questions
Sending a Million Texts in a Row
There are some people who never reply at all, but there are others that never seem to know when to stop… You probably already have one friend who blasts your phone with constant notifications and text messages without you even having to reply. While it does show their enthusiasm toward you, it can get quite bothersome, especially when you are trying to concentrate and find peace of mind.
Using Too Many Abbreviations
Mobile text messaging has given birth to many commonplace abbreviations of most of the words in the colloquial dictionary, and while they can be useful for the sake of time, an excessive use of them can make it hard to understand the gist of the whole text. Therefore, unless you want to purposely bother your receiver with letter and symbol enigmas for a text, refrain from abbreviating every word.
Act Completely Different over the Phone
For many people non-verbal communication can act as a 180-degree identity switch. Those who are usually shy and quiet in person suddenly become talkative and social over text messaging. It can be quite confusing if you are inconsistent with your personality, so don’t be afraid to bring your personality out in real life unless you want to cause some serious confusion among new friends.
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Mass Text
Remember that group text that only served its purpose that one time you planned a hang out with your friends? Well now it’s usefulness has expired and all you have is a plethora of random texts blowing up on your phone from a conversation that you are not actively participating in. So as a word of advice, try to avoid using group texts unless you are addressing all of the people in them!
Typing without Sending a Text
If you are an iPhone user, you know how frustrating it can be when you see the three dots that indicate someone is typing something disappear after a while. You know that your texting partner was writing something and the anticipation was killing you and now everything is just gone. It’s like someone saying they have to tell you a secret and then they change their mind!
As useful as communication over text messaging can be, it can also cause a lot of annoyances and miscommunication. Some people just don’t follow the proper text messaging etiquette that might not exist, but is still implied. What are some of the things you hate when it comes to texting?
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