7 WhatsApp rules you should follow

It's hard to think of going a day without using WhatsApp. The app is now an integral part of human communication, with 1.5billion humans using the app to communicate as of January 2018. It is the king of instant messaging apps.

As popular and important as it is, some people can do without it. Tola who is in his mid-20s deleted WhatsApp a couple of years ago because of its intrusiveness.

"Familiarity and group chats from people I couldn't block and groups I couldn't leave made it unbearable for me. So, I left" he tells Pulse.

"I hate when random people who somehow get hold of your number starts sending you a bunch of messages," says 28-year-old Ibironke.

With so many people using the app to send messages, a lot of people do not know how to properly communicate. Proper communication etiquette doesn't exist on instant messaging apps.

Lack of proper communication etiquette can be very annoying (Huff Post/Getty) Huff Post/Getty

While as humans we have been taught the etiquette of communicating in public, instant messaging is still relatively new with informal rules lacking to guide human interaction.

Yet, over a short period of time, through deduction and annoyance, we can come up with a rough set of rules that people can abide by when communicating with people on WhatsApp.

You can read these 7 commandments below;

1) Stop using LOL and LMAO

Please stop using silly abbreviations (fakewhats) fakewhats

LOL and LMAOs were cute on Yahoo Messenger. These days they are conversation killers. There are more mature ways to express humour (or lack of) than with these overused and over-flogged abbreviations. In 2019, no one should really be using these abbreviations as singular replies.

2) Do not video call without a prior appointment

Video calling a person without having a prior appointment is a no-no. This is behaviour for stalkers. It is an invasion of a person's privacy. If you must reach someone via video call without a prior appointment, send a text to know when it is convenient for that person.

3) Stop using unnecessary abbreviations

The abbreviation of OK to K has to be classified as a tragedy (fakewhats) fakewhats

The days of replying messages with 'k', 'kk', are gone. It is not polite to reply messages this way. Only uncultured people reply to messages this way. It is just plain rude and off putting.

4) It's not the end of the world if you do not get a text back

People are not at your beck and call (fakewhats) fakewhats

It is not nice to send a bunch of texts to someone who does not text you back. If you do not get a text back, you can send a follow-up message. If you do not get a reply, then it is best to assume the other person is busy or preoccupied with something more important and will get back to you.

Bombarding someone with texts because he or she is not responding is harassment.

5) Do not leave people on 'Read'

This is just plain rude. You shouldn't make a habit of ignoring people. If you are busy or can't communicate at that moment, hit them with a quick 'be right back'.

Bailing out people is not proper texting behaviour.

6) Take it easy with the emojis

Curb your use of emojis (WhatsFake) WhatsFake

Yeah, we know emojis are cool and there are a bunch of them now, but you have to chill with emojis. We are not in the ancient times when cavemen drew on walls or the Egyptians used hieroglyphics to communicate. You can do better, keep the smileys to a minimum.

7) Do not add people to groups without their consent

This is a no brainer, but many people do not think things through when they add people to groups without telling them. This is wrong. Give people the heads up and give them the option to decide if they want to be in the group or not.