What is App with What's App?
It's the new generation of communication and I'll be honest, it drives me to distraction.
A year or so ago, I reluctantly downloaded this damn app & have regretted it every time I've sent a message since.
A year or so ago, I reluctantly downloaded this damn app & have regretted it every time I've sent a message since.
I thought, when it came to dating people/seeing people/ generally interacting, all bases had been covered. It became quickly apparent that the phone call was no longer enough.
I often wonder how nice it would have been to communicate with the opposite sex in the early 80's. You'd meet in a bar, they'd take your home phone number, they would either call or they wouldn't call. If they called, it was clear they didn't find you repulsive, you weren't instantly forgettable & they were relatively keen on spending another evening in your company.
They'd ask you for a drink, you'd go for a drink, they'd say that they would call. They would either call or they wouldn't call. If they called it was clear you were good company, they had a nice time and they wanted to see you again. If they didn't call that was fine too. You could run away with the idea in your head that their home phone had been disconnected, or the tiny piece of paper with your phone number on it got lost in the wash, or they'd been involved in a freak accident that meant that they lost all number dialling fingers.
None of which reflected bad on you, your personality or your general appearance.
None of which reflected bad on you, your personality or your general appearance.
Now, we've moved on from the phone call. Text messages were bad enough. The lack of response to a text would often be met with days of wondering if that certain someone had indeed chosen to ignore you, or if they had actually fallen down a hole & that is why they hadn't responded to your very witty, very lovely text message. You had no way of actually knowing.
Now we have What'sApp, all mystery is completely removed.
Not only is the nature of What'sApp frustrating, the amount of information it leaves you party too is painful. You send a witty, banter filled one liner asking them for a drink (any more than one line would be required to be sent over two messages...obviously!) & then it begins...
...The What'sApp Game...
It begins when the single tick appears. That's fine. That means your message has been safely sent. Not read. Just sent. You can be cool with that. The recipient could be at the gym, at work, at a social gathering. Not checking their phone.
Then the horror begins. The double tick appears. You know it's been viewed. You can also see that the recipient of said message is in fact online. You know 100% that the recipient is categorically choosing to not respond.
A few hours pass, and curiosity takes over. You check the message again. In case by some miracle a message had appeared and the evil iPhone (which at this stage you hate!) hadn't notified you.
And there, to your horror on the top banner it sits. 'Last Seen At'. That's it. You are now officially done for! And, if you are anything like me, you will find a reason to continue checking this. Not constantly. You haven't completely cracked. But enough.
Sometimes hours can pass. They've been back online, they've checked their other messages. They still...still...haven't responded to you. As you sit and re-read what you sent to see if it could actually be mistaken for hate mail, the flicker happens.
Typing...
Then, the hours of rage, heartache and general disappointment subside.
However, the hours you've spent ranting in your head about 'not wanting to play games anymore' and 'if I get a text, I just respond. It's manners & I've been brought up well' go by the wayside quicker than a flash of light.
Then you step up & you take your role in the game and begin to play.
You click out of the app at a speed that would make Mr Bolt proud. You take a deep breath, and pop your phone back in your pocket. You know as well as the next girl that your not checking that thing for at least an hour and a half.
After all, you wouldn't want them to see you online.
And you don't want them to know that you've checked the message. You don't want to do the fateful slide over the banner on your phone as we all know what that does. Two Tick.
They can wait for your response. Your busy & have other things to do.
You grin to yourself and carry about your business....
And so it continues.
Now we have What'sApp, all mystery is completely removed.
Not only is the nature of What'sApp frustrating, the amount of information it leaves you party too is painful. You send a witty, banter filled one liner asking them for a drink (any more than one line would be required to be sent over two messages...obviously!) & then it begins...
...The What'sApp Game...
It begins when the single tick appears. That's fine. That means your message has been safely sent. Not read. Just sent. You can be cool with that. The recipient could be at the gym, at work, at a social gathering. Not checking their phone.
Then the horror begins. The double tick appears. You know it's been viewed. You can also see that the recipient of said message is in fact online. You know 100% that the recipient is categorically choosing to not respond.
A few hours pass, and curiosity takes over. You check the message again. In case by some miracle a message had appeared and the evil iPhone (which at this stage you hate!) hadn't notified you.
And there, to your horror on the top banner it sits. 'Last Seen At'. That's it. You are now officially done for! And, if you are anything like me, you will find a reason to continue checking this. Not constantly. You haven't completely cracked. But enough.
Sometimes hours can pass. They've been back online, they've checked their other messages. They still...still...haven't responded to you. As you sit and re-read what you sent to see if it could actually be mistaken for hate mail, the flicker happens.
Typing...
Then, the hours of rage, heartache and general disappointment subside.
However, the hours you've spent ranting in your head about 'not wanting to play games anymore' and 'if I get a text, I just respond. It's manners & I've been brought up well' go by the wayside quicker than a flash of light.
Then you step up & you take your role in the game and begin to play.
You click out of the app at a speed that would make Mr Bolt proud. You take a deep breath, and pop your phone back in your pocket. You know as well as the next girl that your not checking that thing for at least an hour and a half.
After all, you wouldn't want them to see you online.
And you don't want them to know that you've checked the message. You don't want to do the fateful slide over the banner on your phone as we all know what that does. Two Tick.
They can wait for your response. Your busy & have other things to do.
You grin to yourself and carry about your business....
And so it continues.
The What'sApp Game.
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