Communication is an essential ingredient in any relationship, and with the advent of instant messaging, partners no longer depend on phone calls to communicate.
WhatsApp is one of the most widely used instant messaging apps. As good as it is for bridging the communication gap, it has its own side effects.
Let’s talk about how WhatsApp and other instant messaging apps can be destroying your relationship, dating life or marriage!
Let’s go!
Misinterpretation Of Messages: One major issue with texting is that there is no body language, and you can’t even tell how someone is speaking. the same statement or phrase may be understood differently when communicated over text, phone, or face-to-face interaction. Your partner could misinterpret and read anything you meant to say in an innocent way. A simple text message from an innocent sender might spark a heated quarrel because people read messages in different tones. Even your smiley emoji could be interpreted as sarcastic malice. Almost everything you type could be read incorrectly!
When using a picture of someone else as your display picture, especially one of the opposite sex, you run the risk of upsetting your partner. The majority of individuals do that to honor birthdays of others! However, it may get you into serious difficulty with your partner!
Real Communication Issues: Excessive usage of instant messaging can prevent you and your partner from having face-to-face conversations. Over time, especially in a long-distance relationship or when your partner is traveling far, you could find yourself not really talking to your partner. Over time, desire in genuine contact may completely wane.
If your partner discovers that you have erased texts from the other sex, they may easily suspect you of cheating! No of the justification you make for deleting the texts, you are already setting yourself up for a misunderstanding that could get worse if your spouse doesn’t fully trust you.
Last Seen: Refusing to disclose your “last seen status” could lead to misunderstandings and unneeded conflict. If you’re speaking with other people while online, your partner can start to believe you don’t want them to know when you were last online. Or on the other hand, if their last known location was at 3am and you both stopped talking at 11pm, you start to wonder who they might have been talking to at that hour of the night! … problems, problems, problems!
Read Receipts for “The Double Blue Ticks”: Some people will battle you if you don’t enable the read receipt, and once you do, problems follows! What is he or she doing now that they believe you have read the message and have not responded? She probably doesn’t care about me! … He or she starts recording the time between when you saw the message and when you responded! Trouble, disputes, misunderstandings, and ultimately a split will occur before you realize it!
Online But Not Conversing With Your Partner: When your partner notices you are online but not chatting with them, they will begin to wonder with whom you are actually chatting. The worst case scenario is when he or she consistently logs off whenever you log on, leading him or her to believe that you are ignoring them. Another formula for tragedy and separation is this one!
Some people grow so dependent on messaging that they anticipate receiving texts from their lover every minute! Any brief pause in conversation is a significant problem. They want the conversation to flow nonstop. Failure to satisfy the demand might bring disaster.
MY ADVICE
Avoid letting instant messaging damage your connection! Always be forgiving to your spouse! Before talking to your spouse or partner, never assume anything or come to any conclusions. You two should have a conversation about how the problems brought up here can be handled more effectively. Trust is the key, end of story! There is no use in continuing the relationship if you are both single and you don’t trust one another.
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This post was previously published on medium.com.
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Photo credit: Emmanuel Phaeton on Unsplash