The death of WhatsApp? How a generation of texters are switching back to ‘chic’ old-fashioned SMS as pressure to be constantly contactable leaves them with ‘anxiety’

People are turning their backs on WhatsApp and returning to old-fashioned ‘fancy’ text messaging as the pressure to be constantly available leaves them with ‘anxiety’.

Mark Zuckerberg’s messaging service is too ‘invasive’, with people saying the constant bombardment of notifications means they’re switching back to iMessage and a simpler form of texting.

WhatsApp is currently undergoing a makeover, but the sleek new look may not be enough to win back those who jumped ship.

One of these is dating expert Clarissa Bloom, 34, who received an average of around 300 messages a day from the 12 groups she was in.

Seeing a WhatsApp message arriving on her phone left her stomach in knots “like I’d just drank copious amounts of caffeine,” even after muting nine of the groups.

Do you prefer SMS over WhatsApp? Email matt.strudwick@mailonline.co.uk

A mock WhatsApp conversation with the blue check marks indicating that the messages have been read. Many have pointed out that this is a bugbear, meaning they feel ‘obligated to respond’

“It just felt overwhelming and stressful, even though there were always lovely messages from friends and family,” she told MailOnline.

She points to the WhatsApp desktop that is destroying her daily life as the constant stream of messages on the screen hinders her work.

“It used to give me anxiety because I felt the need to respond immediately, but it would disrupt my rhythm,” she said.

‘I was also constantly trying to read messages on WhatsApp by swiping down my phone and seeing the opening line, rather than clicking on it, so people wouldn’t see me reading it because I simply couldn’t watch a movie or show. without having to stare at my phone all the time.’

That all changed when Clarissa ‘inadvertently’ switched back to texting when she got a new phone and didn’t bother installing WhatsApp.

Her life is better for it, even though she constantly has to explain to people that they have to text her when they say to her: ‘I tried to WhatsApp you’.

“It’s definitely made my mind more relaxed, I don’t feel the need to answer right away and it’s also encouraged me to not look at my phone between work hours, which has significantly increased my concentration and productivity,” she says.

One of the biggest bugs is the “nightmare” of people seeing that you’ve read a message, which means “I would feel obligated to respond,” says Clarissa.

‘Another factor is the way people send messages on WhatsApp. In the past, when people wrote texts or emails, you would write a long message and then expect no response within a day.

‘MSN was the ‘old school’ instant chat messenger, where you could expect instant responses unless you were set to ‘offline’ or ‘busy’. But with WhatsApp it’s like you’re permanently set to ‘online’ and people can feel offended if you wait too long to respond.”

She has seen it also cause problems between couples as part of her daily work at The Stag Company You often hear people complain that their partner does not respond to messages quickly enough.

She added: ‘This immediate expectation can add stress to relationships, especially if someone is already dealing with a stressful task at work, or possibly in reverse, doing a household chore or caring for a baby and there is no has time for. to answer immediately.’

Dating expert Clarissa Bloom, 34, is one of those who has turned her back on WhatsApp after messages appearing on her screen left her in knots in her stomach

WhatsApp dominated Pearl Kasirye’s life as she used it for work, school and personal messages.

But the 25-year-old PR consultant Magic PR got tired of it. To escape the clutches, she resorted to changing her number and only gave it to close friends and family.

“WhatsApp is so annoying sometimes but I’ve found a good way to drown out all the noise because I’m now dependent on texting and I’ve noticed that people are texting me less and just calling me,” she told MailOnline .

‘I was getting really tired of my notifications going off all day and having to be ‘constantly on’ as part of the tasks I was doing. This decision to stick with texting has made my life easier and alleviated some of my concerns about constant texting.”

James Bore leads a second-generation family technology and security consultancy Borings and says each message is like someone “tapping you on the shoulder and forcing your brain to switch tasks.”

The 40-year-old told MailOnline: ‘Not only is it tiring, but breaking the workflow means it takes longer and is done at lower quality.’

He thinks a permanent or temporary switch to retro messaging will help people “batch” their interruptions.

‘While SMS is still ‘instant’, people often don’t expect the same immediate response as with a platform like WhatsApp where your online status is visible, so the assumption is that you are always available when you are online. ‘ he said.

“People can’t multitask, it’s just switching between different things quickly – and it takes just as much effort to switch to answering an instant message as any other interruption or change in what you’re doing.”

Stylist Flo Swift, 31, thinks iMessage is ‘so much more chic’ and narrated The times she feels like people who WhatsApp her are ‘looking at me through their phone’.

‘It gives me fear. There are always people who type things that I don’t want to respond to,” she said.

While artist Grace Armstrong, 26, thinks iMessage is a lot healthier and loves its simplicity.

She told The Times: ‘I find that texts feel more genuine – if someone has sent you a text, it feels more legitimate and real than a WhatsApp.’

“I love it when a guy texts, it feels like such a green flag,” she added.

Do you prefer SMS over WhatsApp? Email matt.strudwick@mailonline.co.uk