Get all your news in one place.
100's of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Technology
Sirin Kale

‘So many people tell me they wish they could get out!’ Can we escape the tyranny of WhatsApp groups?

WhatsApp Irene Richard Seymour Claudia
Illustration of colourful groups of people and emojis
‘This is just mind clutter!’ Illustration: Rob Pybus/The Guardian

As I write, I have 101 unread WhatsApp messages, 254 unread iPhone messages and 46,252 unread emails across three separate accounts. For me, Inbox Zero is a faraway goal, as unachievable as mastering the perfect cat’s-eye flick, or learning how to cook.

But it is the WhatsApp messages, specifically the WhatsApp group chats, that terrorise me the most. If I were a woman of courage, I would simply exit these chats as soon as I am added to them; but I feel the weight of social obligation, and so I remain.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
63 Celebrity Lookalikes Who Look Like They Were Separated At Birth
If you have ever mistaken Amy Adams for Isla Fisher, you are not alone, bad with names, or imagining things. We’ve all been there. Even Jeffrey Dean Morgan gets approached in airports and grocery stores by fans who mistake him for Javier Bardem and immediately start speaking Spanish. Celebrity doppelgängers…
Bored Panda
Bored Panda
Why Does Deli Meat Get Slimy Even Before the Expiration Date?
You open the refrigerator, reach for the deli meat, and notice something feels different. The slices are slippery, sticky, or coated with a thin film, even though the package date says you still have several days left to use them. It is an easy situation to second-guess because deli meat…
Grocery Coupon Guide
Grocery Coupon Guide
French family finds rare Chinese vase in attic, takes it to Sotheby’s in shoebox; sells for €16.18m
An 18th-century Chinese porcelain vase, forgotten in a French family's attic, sold for €16.18 million at Sotheby’s Paris in 2018. The family brought it to the auction house in a shoebox, unaware of its value. Experts identified it as a rare imperial vase made for the Qianlong Emperor, and it…
The Times of India
The Times of India
Travis Barker shares Kourtney Kardashian’s bold first move: ‘Something crazy’
Couple were friends for 15 years before becoming a couple around 2020
The Independent UK
The Independent UK
‘My dog’s built her own fashion community’: how canine companions stole the fashion week spotlight
Our four-legged friends are turning heads from Louis Vuitton to Schiaparelli – but what does their presence in the most exclusive of spaces say about the industry’s changing attitudes?
The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Mystery of why big dogs age faster than small ones finally solved
Researchers analyzed the health of more than 860 dogs
The Independent UK
The Independent UK
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.
Download on the AppStore Get it on Google Play