I hate

The counter argument to this is that you tend to get personal responses if you invite people personally and lazy/no responses if you can't be arsed and just send a group message.

Invite people casually, expect a casual response.

Agreed.

Totally. I've drifted away from more than one previously close friend who took to communicating entirely by group message.

If I send a message to a group, it's intended for everyone in the group - what's casual about that?

Well... it's not inviting me specifically, it's just inviting people. I'd put an actual response in if you actually mentioned me by name, but if it's just a general message of 'hey you are all invited', I also don't feel compelled to answer specifically.

Conversely , I have retained good friendships within a wider friendship group that became fragmented because some members were perceived to only communicated at group level and that others perceived the group message recipients as not responding.

Well, you couldn't be arsed to invited everybody personally so the recipients of that invite couldn't be arsed to reply to you personally.

I totally get where you're coming from but surely you've seen this pattern before WhatsApp was a thing? Have you ever tried to organise an office Christmas party with a group email and ended up having to visit everybody's deals individually to get the answers?

This is why I follow up with a personal msg.

Actually that's a lie, I just do it to make them feel awkward because we both know they're ignoring me.

Humans procrastinate when given a chance. It's a thing. A thing that predates WhatsApp. It's why the term RSVP is even a thing.

It amazes me sometimes.

Our NCT group was trying to organise meeting. Finally agreed on a date and a place. Just timings to go.

10msg later one of them pipes up with suggesting a different location.

WHY!?

It's taken all week to nail down 2/3 variables. Why would you try and remove one when were are so close?

Hence why its sometimes better in the short term just to engage people directly, to force a response without distractions.

I totally get where you're coming from but surely you've seen this pattern before WhatsApp was a thing?

100%. I get it and understand that I can message people individually and do. Still hate it though.

I try and treat group chats of more than 3 people as mini-twitters now, so I don't get irked at the lack of actual interaction.

Hadn't thought of that.

It's probably better than our solution of hosting the NCT meetups on our own without the rest of the group.

The best way to deal with people not doing what you want them to do is not give a single fuck about anything, ever, under any circumstances. Its a difficult state of mind to get to, but bliss once you get there.

On the other end of the spectrum, there's a guy I know who seems to personally respond to everything he's invited to on Facebook by commenting in the event. Nobody is expecting you to make it to a gig that's hundreds of miles away from where you live, you probably shouldn't have been invited, you don't need to confirm that you won't be attending with a personalised message. "Sorry I can't make it to this gig in Brighton, it looks great. Unfortunately I live in Newcastle". If the guy in question wasn't so annoying it might be endearing.

Am I the last person alive who prefers to, you know, actually talk to people, when you can see their eyes? At worst, a call on the telephonenywatsit. If you want a genuine response, don't filter your message through a fog of technology, just talk.

He types...

The key word was 'prefer'. Send me your Mum's number young Skywalker.

Double roundabouts.

Or more specifically, people somehow not knowing how to use them despite presumably knowing how to use a single roundabout.

(Some twat nearly went in to me despite clearly seeing me, seeing me indicating and even making eye contact with me)

Am I the last person alive who prefers to, you know, actually talk to people, when you can see their eyes?

Yes.

Am I the last person alive who prefers to, you know, actually talk to people, when you can see their eyes? At worst, a call on the telephonenywatsit. If you want a genuine response, don't filter your message through a fog of technology, just talk.

OK Boomer

Them and mini roundabouts seem to be magnets for the sort of aggressive, meathead motorists who see situations coming and deliberately maintain speed and course to create a near-miss and excuse to lean on the horn for 20 mins.

THEE WURST!

Being made to look a complete noob by locked entrance doors on OPEN shops. You know the sort of thing; double doors that could pull or push so four ways to open of which only one way works and you try three unsuccessfully before gritting your teeth and getting it right.
Even worse was what happened today. Large hardware shop on corner of main road, three visible sets of double doors, all locked, entrance round the back no sign to that effect, walk round the side, find dead end, walk round the front and the other side, walk round the back to entrance (all done in pouring rain), enter shop full of customers and staff rolling on floor laughing (ok, last bit was a lie).

I feel your pain on this. There's a Pret i use a few times a week, big double glass doors - no signage for push / pull, and only one of the doors opens (pushes) I think they deliberately change which door is operation at any given time, just for the limited amusement of those inside.