I don’t know about many of you, but I am part of multiple WhatsApp groups.
These groups can be informative and helpful, while at the same time they can be annoying.
I have been a member of many of these groups for years, while others were only recently created.
There is one for the area where I work in, two groups for work, one for home, two for family, three community watch groups, one group selling clothing and then there’s a small group for emergencies.
WhatsApp groups seem to give people a sense of community, which is terrifying to say the least. Do people really find it that difficult to be social and to have actual conversations face to face with another living person?
Many of the groups I am on were started as safety/information/security groups but somewhere along the line turned into a “where do I find a burger” and “why has such a place closed down?” groups.
Surely if you can ask these questions on a community group you have the technological capability to search “burgers, Edenvale” on Google.
That is what Google was created for in the first place. I mean, it’s main purpose is to find things, places, telephone numbers and people, it’s a wondrous search engine.
Anyone who is part of one of these groups will know that there are four types of group members.
The first is your paranoid neighbour who wakes up at 2am because the streetlight went out and they will post it immediately.
The second is the emoji addict who will reply to almost every message with a suitable smiley, crying or horrified little face.
Then there is the updater, the person who remembers what everyone posted, when it was posted, what time it was posted and to whom it was directed. This poster will frequently be requesting updates on the matter and any bit of information is suitable.
Lastly there’s the inquisitive poster. Questions to be expected from this poster include: what happened to this place? why hasn’t council done anything? where are the police? who should I call? where should I go?
But what really gets to me are the complaints.
“I just want to warn everyone that such and such gives bad service” … seriously!
My phone went off at 11.30pm because you arrived at a takeaway business three minutes before their staff left and no one wanted to serve you.
Then it starts, 55 replies to the original message, some offering support while other offer advice to the poster.
By the time this happens I’ve already muted the group and needless to say, if there is an actual emergency, we won’t know about it and we will not send a journalist out.
90 percent of the groups I am on are permanently muted for this exact reason.
The so-called safety groups bleep and buzz at 3am to ask about the latest laws surrounding windscreen washers or gardening tips or streetlights or whatever people can think of at 3am to get a little attention.
It feels as if WhatsApp groups have become the only lifeline to the outside world for many residents. So, here’s an idea; why not organise community meet and greets where people can get together face-to-face for a picnic without having to clean a field or participate in a crime walk or sign a political petition or listen to a drawn out speech?
Yes, I mean set up a meeting for residents without expecting the residents to do anything but bring along their picnic basket. Where residents can meet to talk, laugh and relax.
That way at least if a group is meant for community safety information it is kept for exactly that.
