‘Blue tick’ fever?

WhatsApp users received an unfortunate surprise earlier this week when WhatsApp revealed that it had introduced a new feature which allows users to check whether their messages have been read by the recipient.

Previously, the ticks against messages on WhatsApp meant that that the message had been sent (one green tick) and that the message had been received by the intended recipient (two green ticks). Unlike WhatsApp, Blackberry Messenger (BBM) already had the feature of knowing if someone has read your message. As soon as the message was sent, a ‘D’ would appear next to the message, meaning ‘delivered’, which then changed to ‘R’ when the message was opened and ‘read’.

Prior to this new feature now on WhatsApp. most users who enjoyed the luxury of having BBM and WhatsApp installed on their phones escaped to WhatsApp so that they could effectively ignore a message on BBM if they really wanted to. WhatsApp allows a ‘last seen’ feature, which shows other users when last a user was online. Users also had the option of switching the ‘last seen’ feature off so that other users would not know when they were last online and whether they had received messages.

However, the ‘last seen’ feature now seems a waste, as the new feature changes these green ticks to blue when the recipient has opened and read the message. In addition to this, users are also able to see what time exactly the intended recipient has read the message by simply clicking on the ‘info’ button.

Many users are not thrilled with WhatsApp’s new feature, as they feel it will cause problems in many relationships. For many people, it is a personal insult if someone is perceived to be deliberately ignoring them and what they have to say.

Is ignoring someone on WhatsApp equal to ‘unfriending’ someone on Facebook? Let us know what you think by commenting below.