Unless you’re an absolute loner you’ve no doubt encountered an online group chat at some point in your lifetime. Perhaps you were even one of the unfortunate women added to a group chat full of this dude’s exes. A lot of people use them to keep in constant contact with faraway friends or their close group so everyone knows whats up but occasionally temporary team messages are necessary to plan a night out or used at work to get shit done.
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As someone who has been using the internet constantly for over a decade, I can safely boast that I’ve been part of many group chats over the course of my lifetime. Whilst they all have their own quirks and shenanigans, the people involved tend to have similar dynamics. There’s usually a split between the good, the bad and the silent but here are all the main group chat stereotypes that exist in the world of mass communications. See if you can spot yourself.
The Jokester
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If you’re typically the one distracting everyone from the topic at hand with a bunch of memes, then this is definitely you. The joker in the group chat keeps the conversation as lighthearted as possible, even when faced with a super serious topic but that’s just their style. They’re the class clown, the entertainer, the king of witty banter. Annoying as they can be at times, the chat would be super boring without them.
The Serial Complainer
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Having a rant on occasion is perfectly fine but I’m talking about the one person who always finds something to complain about. If you’re planning something exciting then they’ll definitely find holes in the idea or dampen the group’s spirits somehow. These bores are forever putting a negative energy into the chat but hey, if you can’t moan to your friends then who else is there?
The Advisor
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They are the wise guru, the agony aunt, the Rafiki of the chat. Whenever you’re in trouble – whether it be with your love, work or home life – their presence is always welcomed to guide you through your unlucky predicament. In a group of close friends, they often can seem a little blunt at times but these smart individuals just want the absolute best for you.
The Friend
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The friend may use the 🙂 emoji too much but their heart is in the right place. As well as having some helpful personal traits in common with the advisor, the friend is just an all round great person. They answer everyone back in a timely manner, are mostly in a good mood and are often down to clown. Unlike others in the group chat, they barely hold a grudge and are usually on great terms with everybody involved.
The Troublemaker
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Aka. The Bastard.
The troublemaker is the ultimate troll. Their only reason for still being present is to cause mayhem and spoil everything. If you ask for their opinion, they’ll shut you down. If you ask for their help planning an event, they’ll be useless at best and ruin it at worst. Usually these people are the first to get ejected from the chat, if they are still around for any length of time it’s probably down to their close relationship with one or multiple people in the group.
The Self Absorbed One
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Do you respond to GIFs and memes with a selfie? Are you always turning the conversation back around to you? Then I’m sorry but you are definitely the self absorbed one in your group chat. Unless you’ve started the conversation for the sole purpose of talking about your issues then consider letting it go because not everyone wants to constantly hear your self obsessive spiel. UGH.
The Quiet One
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This lone ranger is often absent from the conversation but they aren’t maliciously ignoring you. These busy bees are juggling too much in their life to constantly be distracted by natter but they are still keen to jump in for catch up every now and then. It’s best to leave them to their own devices but be sure to fill them in with any important information when they get back.
The Snake
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Basically an extreme version of the troublemaker, occasionally combined with the silent participant. These people aren’t your friends at all and are only still in the chat so they can pass on what you say to other people or use this information against you. I was in a group chat once where someone added a guy nobody really knew only to have him publish all our bitchy banter in a blog. Somehow I came out unscathed but not everyone was that fortunate. Not cool. Be careful with who you add to the chat.
My absolute favourite group chat moment was time Edward Snowden got added to a conversation with teenage girls who didn’t know who he was. As expected, the results were embarrassing.
