I cannot stand the pressure of being rushed to reply to electronic correspondence. It is one of my peeves to have to start a text or e-mail with, “Sorry for the late response!” Nevertheless, I do it every single time I take more than what I believe is an appropriate amount of time to provide a response. Why does this pressure of having to provide immediate responses exist?
A possible reason for the pressure of immediately responding may be that it is expected that the recipient will see the message within moments of it being sent. With read-receipts, that pressure of responding as soon as the message is seen can become even greater. If the sender needs something that is particularly urgent to them, it is possible they be persistent with several follow up messages. However, something that is high priority for the sender may be at the bottom of the recipient’s priority list. In that case, the added pressure of several follow ups could potentially be justified.
If we could begin to consider the reasons behind the pressure of providing immediate responses, then we may be able to determine if that pressure is absolutely necessary. Understanding the reasons could possibly lead to a reevaluation of how we interact with one another through electronic communications. By thinking about the pressure that is felt as a recipient, it may lead to a change in behavior when one is the sender.
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