When it comes to friendship, there are – arguably – two types of people.
The first responds immediately to any message across any platform through which it arrives. These are the people who probably also effortlessly have their inbox at zero.
And then there are those who are more likely to reply three weeks later
While we’d all love to consider ourselves the former, the truth is, life is busy and sometimes staying connected to our friends feels like one more job we need to tick off our never-ending to-do lists
Although it’s normal for friendships to evolve over time – and our age, stage and season of life will undoubtedly impact who we choose to lean on and spend our precious time with – the rise of the group chat has seen more of us than ever before use “protecting our peace” as an excuse to simply opt out. We’re feeling collectively overwhelmed and overstimulated by the many notifications that interrupt our day – but over time, the question is: are we really protecting our peace or simply finding ourselves disconnecting to a point that we’re more alone than ever before?
Clinical psychotherapist and counsellorJulie Sweetsays the group chat can be both a lifeline and a hurdle. “Regardless of the platform, group chats offer an opportunity for connection and they can be wonderful – even lifelines – particularly for people who simply don’t have the time, proximity or capacity to regularly catch up in person,” she tellsBody+Soul. “But nothing completely replaces real-time, face-to-face human interaction.”
