A few years back we were delighted at the ability to send an SMS out to each member of a cycling group to coordinate a ride.
"Cnr Long St and Wale St. 5:30am. MTB to blockhouse".
At R1,40 per SMS, these messages were quite expensive and it normally rested on one person to send out the obvious details to an ever-growing group.
Then came BBM chat groups - everyone had a Blackberry a few years back (shock; horror!) and the concept of free communication to a group became a reality. But Apple and Android systems were excluded - until the arrival of WhatsApp. Aaah - the blessed multi-platform communication tool that united us in one foul swoop! The migration was quick and evolutionary and, before we knew it, dedicated groups were created that allowed many people the opportunity to chat across the globe about whatever they wanted to - at a fraction of the cost that SMS's demanded.
So quick and easy is this application that we can create a group in a matter of seconds. You can randomly include any person listed in your personal address book - even if they had no idea they were going to be included in the group in the first place. There's no "would you like to be part of The Little Unicorns and Fairies Playgroup" option. You just check your phone and next thing you're mid discussion with Mearle mulling over weekend playdates.
Water Polo tournament for the weekend? Lets put EVERYONE WE KNOW into that so that they can stay updated on the score as it happens!! And the best is when the parents who are not there are giving encouragement via the WhatsApp group... people you don't even know all saying well done and congratulations and keep it up Johnny.... Your phone is chiming like a church bell and its lit up like a disco floor...and we all know how that impresses your spouse. "Now who's contacting you?"... "Can't you leave that thing alone for 5 seconds?"..."I wish you'd pay as much attention to me as you do to that stupid chat group!"...."You are ADDICTED to your phone!"
But what if you really dont give a shit about water polo? You've only been included because the creator of the group happens to be family or a close friend? Someone has decided on your behalf that you are in the group.
Lesson 1: Exit Early. If you are blindly informed that you are part of "Mary's Best Recipes" WhatsApp group - get out as soon as you find out (if you're not interested, that is). This is crucial. Because if you wait too long, you will exit halfway through a conversation and draw a host of inconclusive and potentially incorrect deductions. Example as follows:
The truth was that Gertrude simply wasn't interested in a baking group. She was friends with Linda. Linda asked Mary to include her when the group was created. Now she leaves in mid carrot cake baking discussion - and all those chatting feel offended or disappointed at her departure. All she wanted was some privacy.
The context is never known when the person departs. But the timing of the departure leads us to believe that is correlated to the content of the debate that was being discussed at the point of group departure. And, as you can see, that can cause problems...
A cycling group is no different. They start small and, as the cycling group grows, so too does the WhatsApp group. And the group gets its own character and sub culture over time. Content; frequency; intimacy; and character all determine the mood of group.
Military Model: does the group only serve as a one-way point of communication to schedule a ride? One message is sent by a central coordinator to a group who await the ride instruction. No-one chats on the group - or minimal chats are had. Its all quite formal and all messages are directly related to the initial instruction given:
Sparrow Model: And like a group of chittering and chattering birds, some groups have so many different threads running through them from so many people that you can find yourself 5 topics behind if you just turn your back away for 1 minute!
And then there are certain characters within the group that also add flavour and add complexity to the increasingly political nature to the one-dimensional, colour blocked discussion held in your hand.
The Emoticon Freak: Too lazy to articulate themselves, the emoticon freak realises that the only substitute for a lack of body language is to use the many cute and random emoticons (they all remind me of Pac Man) to convey a certain feeling or add context to a statement:
The Sniper: This fork-tongued rogue keeps one eye on the chat at all times. Then, when a sentence is left hanging or someone has opened themselves up (by mistake), they will strike with the accuracy of a scoped rifle and the poison of a cobra:
The Screen Hog: This one will dominate a group. Its their personal best friend. Everyone needs to know everything about them - all the time. Forget Facebook posts - every movement is recorded on the chat group:
The Ghost: In a group of 15-members plus, there are those who say nothing at all. Clearly I am unable to demonstrate that because...well, thats a little obvious. But then there are those who still do keep one eye on proceedings and every now and again (and I mean VERY infrequently) throw their 10 cents worth into a discussion - much to the surprise of everyone else:
Whatever the mood and characteristics of your group - you know what I'm talking about! What is said cannot be unsaid. Without the proximity of being able to gauge mood; body language; to information; and timing of a comment, these groups can be dangerous and fraught with politics.
But they sure do make arranging a ride easier and sharing those magic moments quicker!
Don't abuse your group! A wise old Moose in our group has a email signature that asks something along the lines of:
- Think about what you're going to say.
- Is it kind?
- Will it add value to the discussion?
- Is it worth mentioning?
- Or will it simply disrupt the beauty of silence and privacy that everyone is currently enjoying?
