While texting is great for convenience and efficiency, certain texting behaviors can turn a simple conversation into a huge annoyance. Whether that’s excessively using emojis or going AWOL, there are plenty of things you might be doing that are irritating your friends, family, and acquaintances. Ahead are 15 texting things you should never do.
1. You wait days to text back.
Listen, we get it—we’re all busy and there are times when we open a message and then forget about it. But if you’re consistently taking 2, 3, or more days to text back, you’re probably getting on your friends’ nerves. Maybe they ask you a question you don’t know the answer to or want to know if you’re free but you haven’t checked your schedule—that’s fine! All you have to do is let the other person know that you’ll get back to them when you can. Texting is about communication after all, right?
2. You write novels.
If we wanted to read a novel, we would’ve gone to the bookstore. If your text has so many details that it’s turning into a CVS receipt, you might want to rethink your approach. You know when people say, “This meeting could’ve been an email?”—the same thing with texting. Sure, texting can feel easier and less energy-sucking, but some text conversations (anything that requires more than a paragraph or two of explanation) should be reserved for a phone call.
3. You send multiple messages in a row.
If you’ve ever been on the receiving end of getting 85 messages instead of one succinct thought, then you already know how annoying it is. It makes sense, a lot of times you’re texting on the fly and it’s just a stream of consciousness. But how is the person on the receiving end supposed to dress all 9 messages? It’s overwhelming and can feel a little suffocating, too.
4. You text super early or super late.
You could make the argument that people should have their do not disturb on if they don’t—well—want to be disturbed. That’s a fair point, but there’s also something to be said about text etiquette and common sense. If you get up at the crack of dawn to go to the gym or you’re more of a night owl and stay up late, that’s fine. But just know that the rest of the world is sleeping and, on the off chance they are up, getting a really early morning or really late night text could be alarming.
5. You just send “Hey.”
It’s nice that you want to check in and say “hi,” it really is, but just sending a single “hey” with no follow-up is not only lazy but kind of annoying. What do you expect someone to respond with? Another “Hey?” And then what—you’ll ask them what’s going on? Let’s save everyone the time and just turn your “hey” into a “Hey what’s up?” or a “Hey, how was your weekend?” Please and thank you.
6. You throw in “K.”
We don’t know about you, but every time we’ve received a “K” text, we immediately spiraled and assumed that the person sending it was mad at us. It’s crazy that one letter says so much, but it really does. Whether it makes sense or not, here’s the thing: it doesn’t take that long to add an “O” to the front or an “ay” to the end. So, if you could just take the extra .02 seconds so the person you’re texting doesn’t think you hate them, then you’ll be a hero.
7. You have your read receipts on.
If you have your read receipts on, but use it as a way to keep you accountable, then great, this isn’t directed at you. On the other hand, if you have your receipts on (for whatever reason) and are constantly reading messages without replying, well, we have a problem. Having your read receipts on and then actively not answering is the text equivalent of someone asking you a question IRL and then completely ignoring them. You wouldn’t do that in person, right? Right, so don’t do it over text.
8. You react to every single message in group chats.
It’s nice that you want to acknowledge everyone, that’s actually a good quality! But there’s a time and place for doing that—and group texts aren’t one of them. Everyone’s just trying to find a time to meet for book club, but you’re over here “liking” every message so that each person in the group chat gets 40 notifications saying, “So and so reacted to your message!” And then they have to scroll through the whole thread to see which ones you “liked” or “hearted”. Not fun for anyone.
9. You make a group chat.
Sometimes they’re necessary, but no one likes group chats. They’re overwhelming and usually aren’t that effective, think about it: there are so many people having different conversations which opens up the opportunity for misunderstanding. Sure, anyone can leave a group chat at their own will, but at what cost? It feels like a big statement and people might interpret it as rude. Don’t put someone in this situation unless it’s absolutely needed.
10. You use too many emojis.
Emojis are a great thing—they add flair and flavor to your texts and can communicate how you’re feeling. But if you’re replacing full words with emojis? That ends today. No one wants to spend extra time trying to interpret whether you meant “morning” or “sunny” when you sent over the sun emoji. Just say what you want to say and treat emojis as little add-ons.
11. You correct people’s spelling or grammar.
Bad grammar bothers us just as much as the next person, but correcting grammar or spelling over text is annoying and obnoxious. The thing about texting is that it’s a quick way of communicating and sometimes people make mistakes. Imagine sending a heartfelt message to a friend about how you appreciate them always showing up and they respond with a correction like “*you’re.” It’s icky.
12. You text about serious stuff.
Time and place people! If you’re addressing something that bothered you, we understand that it may be easier to do it over text—you have more reaction time and don’t actually have to hear the other person’s voice. But that can also have a negative effect—the person may take a lot of time to respond (because they were probably thrown off that it was a text) and you’re not able to hear their tone which could cause a big miscommunication. So, if it’s serious stay away from the SMS.
13. You use a reaction instead of responding.
Let’s say someone sends you a text that says, “Hey, can I stop by around 4 pm?” You react with a thumbs up and think nothing of it. Well, think again. This may not seem like a huge deal but if someone is making the effort to reach out or do something for you, the least you can do is type out your response. To the receiver, it can feel passive-aggressive, rude, or just plain annoying.
14. You type and then delete mid-conversation.
Have you ever been in a text conversation where you said something and the other person spent five (very long, might we add) minutes typing and deleting so all you saw was that anxiety-inducing “…”? If you have, then you know it doesn’t feel great. We get that sometimes someone might catch you off guard with a question and you might not know exactly how to answer and that’s okay! We’d suggest typing out your response in your notes before sending it so you can save the other person the stress.
15. You use periods.
©iStock/Aleksandar Nakic
When you’re texting someone, both parties are forced to guess each other’s tones not based on voice, but on cues. Punctuation is one of the things we use to do that. In traditional writing, a period signifies the end of an idea or statement. But in texting? A period can feel like you’re aggressively slamming the door shut and saying “Conversation over.” Correct grammar is great, but texting has its own rules and not using periods after every thought is one of them.
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