How do you feel about the “unsend” feature some apps have for messaging?
If you’re unfamiliar, both Instagram and Snapchat (those are the only two I know that have this) allow you to unsend a message. So, you can message someone and if you decide you don’t want them to see it, you can unsend it. Both apps also tell you when a message is deleted - with Snapchat, it’ll say so in the chat you’re having with the person. On Instagram, you get a notification that a message was unsent, but it doesn’t specify who sent/deleted the message (though you can see previews of messages without opening, so unless you get a lot of messages it’s not hard to figure out).
Is this a good thing? Personally, I have mixed feelings. I can’t imagine too many scenarios where it’s used with good intentions, but I could (and have) see it used out of spite to stir up suspicion.
I also had a recent experience with it on Instagram. A guy had messaged me and commented on a photo I took with my cat, and we messaged back and forth briefly about it. Then he sent an obviously flirty message, and I didn’t open it (only saw the preview). I just didn’t feel like dealing with the whole “I’m sorry but I’m not interested” speech at the moment. Then, I got a notification that a message was deleted. I checked, and sure enough - it was that flirty message. So I asked if he had sent something, explaining that I got the notification. He denied it, saying “Instagram is weird sometimes,” even though I had seen the message. He proceeded to act like nothing happened and try to change the subject. And so, I see how this also enables dishonesty, which isn’t great.
Overall, I think it’s an unnecessary feature. It doesn’t erase everything, it still notifies the person that something was deleted. So, you can’t take back your words entirely. I think it’s best to just own up to what you say - if we can’t take back our words in person, no point in doing so online.
Sorry for the long post. To summarize, some social media apps allow you to delete messages sent to another person before they view them, though they are notified of it. Does this have any actual benefit? Or is it just encouraging people to not own up to heir own words?
Is this a good thing? Personally, I have mixed feelings. I can’t imagine too many scenarios where it’s used with good intentions, but I could (and have) see it used out of spite to stir up suspicion.
I also had a recent experience with it on Instagram. A guy had messaged me and commented on a photo I took with my cat, and we messaged back and forth briefly about it. Then he sent an obviously flirty message, and I didn’t open it (only saw the preview). I just didn’t feel like dealing with the whole “I’m sorry but I’m not interested” speech at the moment. Then, I got a notification that a message was deleted. I checked, and sure enough - it was that flirty message. So I asked if he had sent something, explaining that I got the notification. He denied it, saying “Instagram is weird sometimes,” even though I had seen the message. He proceeded to act like nothing happened and try to change the subject. And so, I see how this also enables dishonesty, which isn’t great.
Overall, I think it’s an unnecessary feature. It doesn’t erase everything, it still notifies the person that something was deleted. So, you can’t take back your words entirely. I think it’s best to just own up to what you say - if we can’t take back our words in person, no point in doing so online.
Sorry for the long post. To summarize, some social media apps allow you to delete messages sent to another person before they view them, though they are notified of it. Does this have any actual benefit? Or is it just encouraging people to not own up to heir own words?