Days in the Life of Mo

There are only two types of people in this world:

1. People who have their read receipts on.
2. People who like peace.

If you’ve ever stared at your phone and seen the words “Read 14:02” with no reply in sight, you know exactly what I mean. That little line of text has caused more stress than exam results, job interviews, and seeing your ex at the grocery store combined.

But here’s the thing: read receipts weren’t supposed to ruin friendships and relationships. They were meant to add transparency. Apple introduced them in iMessage in 2011, WhatsApp followed in 2014 with the infamous blue ticks , and suddenly our private little bubbles of plausible deniability vanished. No more “oh, I didn’t see your text.” Technology made lying… inconvenient.

And yet, instead of helping us communicate better, read receipts became the ultimate weapon of passive aggression. A modern Cold War. A text-based Mexican standoff. Because let’s be honest; when someone leaves you on read, you don’t just think “oh, they’re probably busy.” No, your brain goes straight to:

• They hate me.
• They’re plotting my downfall.
• They joined a cult and I wasn’t invited.

The psychology even backs this up. Studies show that digital communication cues (like read receipts, typing indicators, or message delays) can create heightened anxiety and “interpretive uncertainty”. Translation? We spiral. Hard.

So why do some of us still keep them on? Honestly, I think it’s a power move. Having read receipts enabled is like walking around with your location tracker on; completely unnecessary, slightly chaotic, and deeply unbothered energy. It says: Yes, I saw your message. Yes, I chose inner peace over answering. Deal with it.

Me? I turn them off. Because my inbox is a graveyard of “I’ll reply later” messages that never see the light of day. My brain can handle a lot; debugging C# at 2AM, explaining cookies to non-dev friends, even losing code because I forgot to save, but I cannot handle the weight of 37 unread texts glaring at me like unpaid bills.

Here’s the paradox though: even though we hate them, read receipts are also a reminder that someone was there. They opened your words. They looked at them. In a strange way, it’s intimacy, quiet, frustrating intimacy.

So, are read receipts good or evil? Honestly, they’re both. They’re Schrödinger’s feature: they exist in a constant state of judgment and connection, depending on whether the person replies.

Until then, if I’ve left you on read… just know, I probably didn’t mean it. Probably.

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If you made it this far without leaving me on read; wow, I’m flattered. Subscribe to my blog for more casual, curious tech talk from your local dev girl who promises to reply… eventually.