Move over high school cafeteria cliques, the group chat is here to exclude people now. And one woman can't even get in with her own family.
A TikTok video posted by @strawberrylogurtt captures the exact moment one woman realized there was a family group chat that existed without her, and the disappointed look on her face says it all. Since the video was posted one week ago, it has been viewed over 238,000 times and received over 17,000 likes.
"Asked me if I saw a text she sent and I said 'Must have been the family chat without me in it,' as a joke," @strawberrylogurtt captioned the video. "She said 'Hold on, let me check that one.'"
The moment of realization on the creator's face prompted users in the comments to speak about their own family group chat dynamics—including their potential variations. Some claim to have good reasons for excluding certain family members.
"My family has different group chats without different members in it, so if we need to coordinate something in secret, we can do it," @bozzlebub wrote.
"I have four family chats, me and my parents, me and my brother and my dad, me and brother and mum, and one with all four. I guarantee there is also one without me in it. (It's the only way our parents will communicate)," @0bsidian0pal wrote.
Some commenters expressed awe that a family would use a group chat to keep in touch: "Family group chats?!" jazzabyrdy79 wrote. "I don't even have my families' numbers."
Newsweek asked @strawberrylogurtt for comment via TikTok.
What Is Proper Group Chat Etiquette?
In a blog post, computer security software company McAfee shared some dos and don'ts of group chat manner. No matter the platform you use, there are consistent ways to stay respectful and tailor the group chat to your needs.
The first tip is to be careful what you share in a group chat, Toni Birdsong, for McAfee, wrote. Group chat content involves more people, so it is harder to keep private things truly private.
If you're in a group chat that you do not want to be in, it's better to mute it than to leave it, Birdsong suggested, to avoid coming over as rude. You can also message the administrator of the group chat to be removed, so that the onus of leaving isn't entirely on you. However, if you're in a group chat you don't mind being in—but aren't always interested in the content of—you can mute it and try to chime in from time to time, to remind others of your interest in being a part of it.
Ultimately, Birdsong wrote, group chat etiquette is about being safe and being respectful.
It's questionable whether this TikTok creator's family was being disrespectful in excluding her from a certain family group chat, though. After all, she might have a birthday coming up.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
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