We’ve all had that frustrating experience of texting someone and failing to get an answer. It can be especially disappointing when you text to make an arrangement, share some gossip or news, and you’re excited to hear what the other person’s response might be. You wait while the minutes turn to hours, then days – and ultimately you give up waiting and it’s difficult not to bear a grudge.
Tech can make it worse – for instance when iMessage says your message has been read, or WhatsApp lets you know the other person has been online.
There are some basic, practical reasons why people sometimes fail to respond straightaway, but there are also some deeper factors to consider. On a practical level, it’s possible the other person read your message when they weren’t in a position to respond – such as during an online meeting or because they were chatting to someone in real life – and then they simply forgot all about it.