We now check our phone every twelve minutes. And yet, despite spending so much time spent focusing on our smartphones, new research reveals we’re not making the effort to reply to reply to messages in a socially accepted time frame.
Are you a slow replier?
Mobile phone insurance provider, Insurance2go, polled the British public to find the most acceptable ‘gap’ in response time when it comes to keeping in touch with loved ones. One in six (16%) said if they don’t get a reply within the hour, they would consider it rude. For those who’re often guilty of leaving their friend ‘on read’, a quarter (24%) of people said they will wait up to twelve hours for a reply before they think of their recipient as impolite.
But how many of us have fallen victim of reaching out and never hearing back at all? Around nine in ten (90%) Brits admitted they have sent a text which never received a reply, with 44% thinking it was rude.
Alongside ignoring messages, Brits revealed the most annoying texting habits:
Reading a message and not replying (38%)
Replying with an emoji-only (13%)
Replying with a one-word answer (12%)
Replying with multiple messages rather than typing it all out in one message (9%)
Spamming with photos and GIFs rather than an actual message (8%)
With an astonishing 93% of people being in at least one group chat (WhatsApp is the most popular messaging service- 28%), and over half (57%) being in up to three, it’s surprising to learn that only a third (36%) message back straight away, to avoid appearing rude. However, almost half (46%) will read a message and only reply when it’s convenient or if we can be bothered.
Delving into the types of people we respond to the quickest, work colleagues can expect to receive a speedy reply, with only 6% of Brits admitting to ignoring messages from them. Quickly followed by a family member that we don’t speak to all of the time (6%) and a close family member (10%).
Roughly one in seven (14%) new relationships is formed on dating apps. So, how cool should you play it when texting a potential date? It turns out that send men are less likely to play the waiting game, with the majority (28%) texting back within 20 minutes. However, women tend to keep love interests waiting a little longer, with 32% texting back within the hour, and a quarter (26%) even wait up to 12 hours to reply back to a date. If you’re hoping to slide into someone's DMs for a chance of getting to know them a little better, don’t get your hopes up too high, as it turns out many of us (34%) will read and ignore messages sent by someone they don’t know.
Duncan Spencer, Managing Director of Insurance2go comments on the country’s text-etiquette: “I have to confess, I usually text back quite promptly, but I consider the urgency, time and convenience of those I’m texting when waiting for a reply. Gone are the days when texting or calling someone were the only ways to communicate over the phone, with so many social media platforms and messaging apps on offer, it’s no wonder people don’t always find the time to reply. It’s good practice to take the time for yourself and find a balance of replying when necessary, or at least to expect this of others.”
Insurance2go have delved into the appropriate text-etiquette to follow if you’re often guilty of leaving your friends or family on read the full results.
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