Seen at 2:17 p.m. Replied at… never.
If text messaging is instant, why are so many people left on “read?”
This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science.
Jing Li and team at Sun Yat-sen University in China wanted to understand why people don’t always respond.
They interviewed and surveyed more than 300 people, and examined how message overload and time pressure affects responses.
And? It wasn’t message content causing delays. It was the sheer number of messages people received.
When people feel overwhelmed or short on time, they often read but don’t respond. A late reply may reflect too much information, not disinterest.
The message is instant. The response? I’ll get back to you on that…
Reference: Li, J., Zhang, S., & Ao, W. (2023). Why is instant messaging not instant? Understanding users’ negative use behavior of instant messaging software. Computers in Human Behavior, 142, 107655. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2023.107655