Seriously People, Stop With The "Sonar Ping!"

I would like to quickly share how I feel about the phenomenon I call the Sonar Ping text message.

This is when someone texts you a "Hey," "Hello," "Sup," [hand wave], etc. You send a quick response back and then you do not hear from them again until much time has passed. I can only guess as to why people do this. Maybe, they want to make sure you are still available to them-when and if they actually want to make time for you. Or possibly, they want to make sure you are alive-feeling guilty about ignoring you. Or perhaps, they genuinely wanted to connect with you but, something is preventing them from completing that chain.

Usually this type of behavior does not bother me, but right now it bugs the f**** outta me. You see, I am desperately craving connection and attention. I miss my friends in Florida so very much. I miss my face to face interactions with them. These days, I am alone a lot. Texting is just not quite cutting it anymore. Texting from certain people is even starting to annoy me. I do not want your BS relationship, lacking substance. I get enough of that crap at these networking events I subject myself to-trying to get ahead in life.

Humans need true connection. I love me some social media and the conveniences of texting. But, there is just something special about a phone call. The beauty of face to face interaction cannot be matched. It is possible when folks avoid the latter, they are possibly avoiding meaningful connection. It can be a scary thing-full of vulnerability. Or they might possibly be overwhelmed with the BS connections they currently have in their life. I know I have avoided some interactions because I am just over trying to figure out who is genuinely interested in me.

I know texting is just so quick and easy, but the next time you want to send a quick "hey," be prepared to chat a bit. If you want to let someone know you are thinking about them, without having a conversation, just send a meme, GIF, or a quick "I was thinking about you." It's much more effective in my opinion and is not annoying like the Sonar Ping text message.

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