A study showing a staggering 3,276 messages are sent every year, in an average family or friend group
One in six people (15 percent) believe they have been added to too many group chats, with the study showing a staggering 3,276 messages are sent every year, in an average family or friend group.
And top of the list of annoyances are “ghosts” – those who read all the messages, yet never respond (37 percent) – followed by people who leave the group in a huff, but then ask to be added back. (36 percent).
It’s also important not to gossip about people (36 percent) as it may get back to them, go easy on the GIFS (28 percent), stay on topic (26 percent) and not be argumentative (25 percent), according to the 2,000 respondents surveyed.
Over a third (33 percent) believe it is correct etiquette to ask the other group members before adding a random person, while never over sharing pics of your kids or pets (20 percent) and keeping voice messages short (17 percent) are also important to bear in mind.
Almost half of Brits of all ages (47 percent) use group chats to organise get-togethers, while 24 percent use them to sort out holidays with friends.
When it comes to the liveliest chats, the ‘holiday group chat’ seem to generate the most daily pings – however, more than one in ten (13 percent) complain that no one can ever reach a decision visa a text exchange.
According to the study, by airline Vueling, a third (35 percent) admit they find group chats stressful with 15 percent believing they are on too many, so much so that 26 percent regularly ‘mute them’ to get a break.
One in five (20 percent) complain that their phone constantly buzzes with group chat messages, with a further 18 percent complaining that people start a new group chat for everything.
According to the nation, the ideal size of a group chat is six members, with more than 12 members considered too big.
Sandra Hors, Chief Corporate Affairs, Brand and Sustainability Officer at Vueling said: “Group chats have become a popular tool for planning holidays, but our research shows that a lack of group chat etiquette is making it hard to turn plans into reality, with ‘group chat paralysis’ often hindering plans.
“People’s phones are buzzing with travel plans for Valentine’s Day, Easter and even next summer, so we could all learn a thing or two when it comes to the ways of WhatsApp. That’s why we’ve created the definitive guide to group chat etiquette – to help your next holiday go from ‘chat’ to ‘check-in’, seamlessly!”
GROUP CHAT ETIQUETTE ACCORDING TO A SURVEY
- Don’t be a ghost (read all messages but never respond) – 37%
- Don’t storm out of the group and then ask to be added back – 36%
- Don’t gossip about people – 36%
- Always ask other group members before adding someone new – 33%
- Go easy on the GIFS – 28%
- Don’t leave people ‘on read’ for longer than 24 hours – 27%
- Stay on topic – 26%
- Don’t get into an argument – 25%
- Don’t share every detail of your day – 24%
- Don’t overshare pics of your kids or pets – 20%
- Don’t keep people awake with late-night chatter – 18%
- Keep voice messages short – 17%
- Keep the chat light and breezy – 16%
- Don’t overdo the memes – 16%
- Take one-on-one conversations off the chat – 16%
- Spell check/review messages before you hit send – 15%
- Don’t send early morning messages – 14%
- Don’t overuse emojis – 14%
- Don’t wish someone ‘happy birthday’ in the group chat, do it one-to-one – 9%
- A thumbs up emoji isn’t an official agreement – 7%
