28th August 8:56 PM Friend iMessage: Millie

Read and ignored.

The above one sided conversation recently landed me in the bad books with the aforementioned friend. My lack of response read to them as being rude and disrespectful. This is not an unfamiliar situation for me, it has happened a few times and I’ve always felt forced to later apologise and create excuses, but actually I don’t feel I’m doing anything wrong.

Now let me get one thing straight; if the friend has sent a message which stated they were in an accident/felt in danger or just really needed my advice I would respond. Another time I would reply is to let someone know whether I’m coming to something or not. Those who dodge the confrontation of just saying “I’m not feeling it tonight, but another time” and instead leave you wondering whether they’re on their way with a bottle of pinot or sat in their pjs watching E! are the worst.

However, I feel we have become slaves to the accessibility our mobile phones create. Years ago you didn’t feel obliged to respond to every message sent to you because they simply didn’t exist. Everyone can relate to listening to the home phone ring as you’re about to take a nice long bath and thinking ‘hell no I’m not getting it.’ Or when you see that old high school friend in a department store that you just don’t want to catch up with today, especially with your hair pushed one day too far with dry shampoo. And so you, like the petty woman you are, hide in the changing rooms for an anxious 30mins.

It’s okay.