Whatsapp is sometimes the theatre of the absurd. [Photo/capitalfm.co.ke]
WhatsApp groups can drive you to the edge.
People do not know boundaries, can be insensitive or post things that make you question their reasoning.
Others are happy to waste your time because they are idle and have nothing better to do.
Added without prior consultation
Have you ever woken up to a notification that you have been added to a group without your knowledge?
Nobody bothered to ask if you are okay with it.
It is annoying, especially if there is no special occasion or use for the group.
Flood of messages within minutes
Look away for a few minutes; you come back to an avalanche of messages.
You don’t know where to start and worse still, your name has been mentioned in the conversation, yet you have no idea what the topic involves.
No trigger warnings
Sharing graphic images or videos without being sensitive enough or putting out trigger warnings is selfish and disrespectful.
They could send someone into an anxiety or panic attack if they associate the graphic nature of the content with a traumatic experience they might have gone through or witnessed in the past.
Endless media eating into your phone memory
Those people who send all kinds of unnecessary photos, memes, gifs, videos or even screenshots that eat into your data bundle, but also storage memory too. Let’s not forget that they waste your time too since you now have to go through your gallery to get rid of unwanted trash.
Private conversations in a group
Bringing a private conversation to a group of dozens who have nothing to do with it is an eye-roller.
Surely, you can take it to your confines and talk about whatever it is you are sharing with unwilling participants.
Being grouped with strangers
Sometimes this happens probably for a good cause, but it is honestly uncomfortable. Conversing virtually with people you’ve never met or whose characters you don’t know is strangely eerie.
You are the enemy if you leave
Dare exit the group because of its unessential nature and ruffle feathers.
People will accuse you of being hot-headed and if they aren’t your friends, they will talk behind your back.
But who cares.
Family or personal affairs in a workgroup
If the group was created for professional reasons, it should remain so.
It is not Facebook or Instagram where you have the liberty and space to show off what your husband bought for you on Valentine’s Day or photos and videos of a family function not unless your workmates were involved in the occasion.
However, in the event where a colleague is in need, then that can be excused.