The Life Cycle Of WhatsApp Groups!

WhatsApp is one of the extensively used apps in India today. Well, it has taken over the place of verbal as well as face-to-face communication.

These days we hardly see people using the phone to talk to their near and dear ones. Business calls still exist, we need vitamin M(Money) to survive and grow big in life but for the rest… WhatsApp hain na?

 And there you find yourself getting trapped in the maze of WhatsApp groups, some related to old ties(of school/college), some belonging to the current life; of like-minded colleagues, office groups, kids’ school groups, people with similar passions, virtual friends’ group(of people whom you met while surfing various pages on social media and eventually decided to stay in touch to virtually support each other for a common goal), and of course of the relatives. It’s so conventional these days for people to start and end their communications on WhatsApp.

Have you noticed one thing; at the conception of any community/group on this app, people are over-enthusiastically active and available? There will be plenty of good day wishes, health-related, spiritual, political ideology-related articles, jokes, fake news(all forwards though), some rational tittle-tattle, and leg-pulling. 

Amidst this web of typed words, you’ll also witness people with unpaired thoughts picking up quarrels, arguing at length, and ultimately disbanding themselves from the group. 

For some, a person quitting the WhatsApp group is synonymous with them burning the bridges. How serious this real-world has taken the virtual world! You can just sit and wonder.

Gradually, as weeks pass a majority of them will get busy while there will be still a handful left; who’ll keep the group alive with those forwards on positive thoughts and good morning wishes.

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There are also some, engaging themselves in sharing forwarded jokes and lengthy articles on parenting, education, and whatnot. You’ll see the enormous amount of laughing emojis festooning your virtual wall. That’s when you as a receiver/ reader/sender are motivated to share more and more of such forwards.

You’ll forward one, and see people enjoying it; responding with those funny emojis. You realise you are being loved and people like what you share, without realising you squandering your precious life on something petty.

Eventually, one day this motivation gives you the strength to forward one of your original works. You wait for the reactions but might end up looking at a blank wall. After some time, you’ll go to the information side of the app and realise that a lot of people from the group have already seen it.

If people have seen it then why aren’t they responding?

That becomes your next point of contention

Somehow you’ll find the same people who were actively reacting positively to all your forwards have grown busy or perhaps, dim-witted, this would be your first reaction though. Later, you’ll start to suspect your sense of humour/intelligence.

Perhaps, I don’t write that well.

You immediately forget you were the entertainer, the most popular figure of the group, The Positive Thinker.

Suddenly, the positive thoughts on mental wellness that you shared a few days back with them are no longer working for you and you start to feel the blues.

That moment when you are doubting yourself, you get a call

 You would have waited for your mobile to flash a known number(these days most of the time you end up attending some junk Marketing calls).

 That would be of that one person who values you and your thoughts. Their words will act as a balm on your bruised soul. Thus making you realise it’s not about those humongous virtual groups but quality people that matter in your life.

Did this write-up ring a bell? If Yes, do share your thoughts in the comment section.

 And you know what, even if I don’t see any likes for my articles here, I keep writing because I know, there are a lot of people back home cheering up for me.

I wish the same for you too.

By the way! Don’t forget to occasionally respond to and call back people who care for you. Everyone’s time is equally precious. If they are taking efforts to buzz you, it only means they want to share their precious time with you. Just don’t disappoint them by saying you’re busy chasing a deal or cracking a new account.

After all, time too is Money, isn’t it?

Image Source: VSanandhakrishna from Getty Images via Canva Pro

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