The group chat used to be a simple concept, a casual digital hangout where friends could plan dinner or complain about life. Somewhere along the way, it turned into a chaotic multiverse of unread messages, side alliances, emotional support hotlines, and unsolicited memes. If 2025 has taught us anything, it’s that group chats need rules. Clear, unapologetic rules. Here they are.
1. The ‘Good Morning Sunshine’ Offender Must Be Stopped
There’s always one. The person who greets the group every single morning with a cheery “Good morning!” and a sun emoji, as if we’re all in the same yoga retreat. It’s sweet in theory, but in practice, it’s emotional assault before caffeine. Nobody wants to scroll through 47 “Morning!” replies when they wake up at 10am on a Saturday. If you absolutely must share your morning energy, direct it toward a pet photo, a meme, or someone who actually asked. Otherwise, wait until the rest of us are conscious.
2. The Voice Note Ban (Or, The Three-Minute Monologue Problem)
Voice notes had potential. They were supposed to be efficient. Instead, they became mini podcasts nobody subscribed to. If your message starts with “So basically…” and lasts longer than 20 seconds, you’ve lost us. By the time you’re describing your Uber driver’s cousin’s drama, we’ve already muted the chat. Unless you’re singing happy birthday or reporting a live emergency, keep your thumbs on the keyboard.
3. The Link Drop Rule
Dropping a random link with “OMG” or “watch this” isn’t communication, it’s psychological warfare. We live in an era of content chaos, the internet is a minefield of news, ads, and cursed videos. If you’re going to post a link, tell us why. “This reminds me of Bella’s disastrous holiday trip” or “this is the best dog video you’ll see today” earns you goodwill. Context isn’t optional; it’s self-defense for the group’s sanity.
4. The Ghosting Clause
We get it. Life is busy, messages pile up, and sometimes you just can’t face 239 unread notifications. The new rule: if you go MIA, you can quietly reappear without explaining yourself, but you must like or react to at least one message within 24 hours to confirm you’re still breathing. Think of it as a digital pulse check. Ghosting forever is fine too, just don’t suddenly reply to a message from three months ago like nothing happened. That’s chaos.
5. No Screenshots Without Warning
The first rule of group chats is: don’t bring screenshots from other group chats. The second rule is: seriously, don’t. It’s 2025, everyone is in multiple overlapping chats, and there’s at least a 60% chance the people you’re gossiping about are also in this one. Screenshots should come with a disclaimer, a risk assessment, and ideally a lawyer. Unless it’s something universally hilarious and harmless, keep the digital receipts to yourself.
Photo by Ketut Subiyanto
6. The Reaction Economy
Reacting to messages has become an art form. A “😂” is friendly, a “❤️” is wholesome, a “👍” is borderline hostile. A “😮” can mean you’re shocked, confused, or just didn’t read the thread. Use with care. Overreacting to every message makes you look like a bot; under-reacting makes you seem cold. The perfect ratio is one emoji per three messages. And yes, a “😏” still means what you think it means, tread lightly.
7. The Night Mode Rule
Messages sent after midnight are automatically flagged as either “emotional” or “chaotic.” If it’s a meme, fine. If it’s a paragraph that begins with “Can I just say something…,” it’s probably not the time. Anything posted after 12am is considered fair game for misinterpretation. Save your passionate essays and existential thoughts for daylight hours or private DMs. No good group chat story ever started with “So it was 2:14am and I just had to say this…”
8. The Poll Overload
Polls were fun at first, a quick way to choose dinner spots or decide who’s bringing wine. But somewhere along the way, people got power-hungry. Now we have polls like “Which emoji represents our energy today?” or “Should I buy this hat?” No. Group chats are not focus groups. Keep polls for decisions that matter, like restaurant bookings, road trips, or determining who’s in charge of bringing snacks. Anything else is tyranny disguised as interactivity.
9. Never Mention an Event if Everyone’s Not Invited
This one’s crucial. If you’re hosting something, never, and I mean never, post about it in the group chat unless every single person is invited. That’s not just bad etiquette, it’s social sabotage. “Can’t wait for tonight” only hits hard when half the group didn’t make the cut. Start a new chat, whisper in DMs, or use carrier pigeons if you must. The group chat is Switzerland, neutral ground, free from exclusion and drama.
10. Leaving the Group is a Public Act
There’s no silent exit anymore. When you leave a group, your name flashes up like a public breakup announcement. If you go, make it count. Either vanish quietly at 2am (classy) or drop a dramatic “I’m out” and watch the chaos unfold. Just know that your departure will immediately spawn a new group dedicated to discussing why you left. There is no escape, only sequels.
Photo by Teddy Yang
11. The Golden Rule
If you wouldn’t say it in person, don’t post it. Unless it’s a meme, memes are the universal language of love, chaos, and emotional avoidance. Be kind, be funny, and for the love of all that’s digital, stop starting new group chats for every brunch.
Advanced Group Chat Etiquette: For the Chronically Online
If you’ve made it this far, congratulations, you’re already a functioning member of group chat society. But for those who live in more than five active threads, have multiple friendship tiers, or panic-scroll through 200 missed messages before bed, these advanced rules are for you.
12. Muting Is Self-Care, Not Betrayal
There comes a time when the notifications become too much. You’re trying to work, sleep, or exist, and your phone pings like your friends crazy cousin. Muting the chat doesn’t mean you hate your friends, it means you value your sanity. Just remember to drop in occasionally with a “sorry, just catching up!” to remind everyone you’re still around. It’s like waving from a distance without committing to the conversation.
3. The Flood Management Act
When the group explodes with 87 messages in five minutes, resist the urge to reply to everything. Choose your battles. Summarise with a single, well-placed response like “Laughed at most of this” or “Yes to tacos, no to karaoke.” It’s efficient and keeps the thread readable. Quoting five messages in a row just creates confusion and chaos.
14. The Subgroup Strategy
Sometimes, a conversation needs its own space. A trip plan, a surprise party, or a niche meme war, that’s what subgroups are for. Just don’t make a side chat about someone in the main chat and accidentally add them. It happens more than it should. If you’re forming a spin-off, do it with purpose and clear objectives. No one needs “Brunch Group 4.0 – Final FINAL version.”
15. The Archive-and-Forget Option
There’s freedom in letting go. When a group chat dies a natural death, the conversation slows, the last meme hits differently, and no one replies for a month, don’t resurrect it. Don’t send a random “hey guys!” at 11pm to “revive the vibe.” It’s over. Archive it with dignity and let the next chat rise from its ashes.
16. The ‘Don’t @ Everyone Unless the Building Is on Fire’ Rule
Tagging the entire group should be treated like pulling a fire alarm. If your message involves free food, a missing wallet, or genuine emergency gossip, go ahead. Otherwise, tagging everyone because you found a funny TikTok is a cry for attention, and the group knows it.
Group chats are the modern campfire, messy, loud, occasionally dramatic, but filled with warmth and inside jokes. The trick is to know when to speak, when to listen, and when to quietly mute and scroll. If everyone followed just half these rules, the world (and our phones) would be a much calmer place.
The group chat used to be a simple concept, a casual digital hangout where friends could plan dinner or complain about life. Somewhere along the way, it turned into a chaotic multiverse of unread messages, side alliances, emotional support hotlines, and unsolicited memes. If 2025 has taught us anything, it’s that group chats need rules. Clear, unapologetic rules. Here they are.
1. The ‘Good Morning Sunshine’ Offender Must Be Stopped
There’s always one. The person who greets the group every single morning with a cheery “Good morning!” and a sun emoji, as if we’re all in the same yoga retreat. It’s sweet in theory, but in practice, it’s emotional assault before caffeine. Nobody wants to scroll through 47 “Morning!” replies when they wake up at 10am on a Saturday. If you absolutely must share your morning energy, direct it toward a pet photo, a meme, or someone who actually asked. Otherwise, wait until the rest of us are conscious.
2. The Voice Note Ban (Or, The Three-Minute Monologue Problem)
Voice notes had potential. They were supposed to be efficient. Instead, they became mini podcasts nobody subscribed to. If your message starts with “So basically…” and lasts longer than 20 seconds, you’ve lost us. By the time you’re describing your Uber driver’s cousin’s drama, we’ve already muted the chat. Unless you’re singing happy birthday or reporting a live emergency, keep your thumbs on the keyboard.
3. The Link Drop Rule
Dropping a random link with “OMG” or “watch this” isn’t communication, it’s psychological warfare. We live in an era of content chaos, the internet is a minefield of news, ads, and cursed videos. If you’re going to post a link, tell us why. “This reminds me of Bella’s disastrous holiday trip” or “this is the best dog video you’ll see today” earns you goodwill. Context isn’t optional; it’s self-defense for the group’s sanity.
4. The Ghosting Clause
We get it. Life is busy, messages pile up, and sometimes you just can’t face 239 unread notifications. The new rule: if you go MIA, you can quietly reappear without explaining yourself, but you must like or react to at least one message within 24 hours to confirm you’re still breathing. Think of it as a digital pulse check. Ghosting forever is fine too, just don’t suddenly reply to a message from three months ago like nothing happened. That’s chaos.
5. No Screenshots Without Warning
The first rule of group chats is: don’t bring screenshots from other group chats. The second rule is: seriously, don’t. It’s 2025, everyone is in multiple overlapping chats, and there’s at least a 60% chance the people you’re gossiping about are also in this one. Screenshots should come with a disclaimer, a risk assessment, and ideally a lawyer. Unless it’s something universally hilarious and harmless, keep the digital receipts to yourself.
6. The Reaction Economy
Reacting to messages has become an art form. A “😂” is friendly, a “❤️” is wholesome, a “👍” is borderline hostile. A “😮” can mean you’re shocked, confused, or just didn’t read the thread. Use with care. Overreacting to every message makes you look like a bot; under-reacting makes you seem cold. The perfect ratio is one emoji per three messages. And yes, a “😏” still means what you think it means, tread lightly.
7. The Night Mode Rule
Messages sent after midnight are automatically flagged as either “emotional” or “chaotic.” If it’s a meme, fine. If it’s a paragraph that begins with “Can I just say something…,” it’s probably not the time. Anything posted after 12am is considered fair game for misinterpretation. Save your passionate essays and existential thoughts for daylight hours or private DMs. No good group chat story ever started with “So it was 2:14am and I just had to say this…”
8. The Poll Overload
Polls were fun at first, a quick way to choose dinner spots or decide who’s bringing wine. But somewhere along the way, people got power-hungry. Now we have polls like “Which emoji represents our energy today?” or “Should I buy this hat?” No. Group chats are not focus groups. Keep polls for decisions that matter, like restaurant bookings, road trips, or determining who’s in charge of bringing snacks. Anything else is tyranny disguised as interactivity.
9. Never Mention an Event if Everyone’s Not Invited
This one’s crucial. If you’re hosting something, never, and I mean never, post about it in the group chat unless every single person is invited. That’s not just bad etiquette, it’s social sabotage. “Can’t wait for tonight” only hits hard when half the group didn’t make the cut. Start a new chat, whisper in DMs, or use carrier pigeons if you must. The group chat is Switzerland, neutral ground, free from exclusion and drama.
10. Leaving the Group is a Public Act
There’s no silent exit anymore. When you leave a group, your name flashes up like a public breakup announcement. If you go, make it count. Either vanish quietly at 2am (classy) or drop a dramatic “I’m out” and watch the chaos unfold. Just know that your departure will immediately spawn a new group dedicated to discussing why you left. There is no escape, only sequels.
11. The Golden Rule
If you wouldn’t say it in person, don’t post it. Unless it’s a meme, memes are the universal language of love, chaos, and emotional avoidance. Be kind, be funny, and for the love of all that’s digital, stop starting new group chats for every brunch.
Advanced Group Chat Etiquette: For the Chronically Online
If you’ve made it this far, congratulations, you’re already a functioning member of group chat society. But for those who live in more than five active threads, have multiple friendship tiers, or panic-scroll through 200 missed messages before bed, these advanced rules are for you.
12. Muting Is Self-Care, Not Betrayal
There comes a time when the notifications become too much. You’re trying to work, sleep, or exist, and your phone pings like your friends crazy cousin. Muting the chat doesn’t mean you hate your friends, it means you value your sanity. Just remember to drop in occasionally with a “sorry, just catching up!” to remind everyone you’re still around. It’s like waving from a distance without committing to the conversation.
3. The Flood Management Act
When the group explodes with 87 messages in five minutes, resist the urge to reply to everything. Choose your battles. Summarise with a single, well-placed response like “Laughed at most of this” or “Yes to tacos, no to karaoke.” It’s efficient and keeps the thread readable. Quoting five messages in a row just creates confusion and chaos.
14. The Subgroup Strategy
Sometimes, a conversation needs its own space. A trip plan, a surprise party, or a niche meme war, that’s what subgroups are for. Just don’t make a side chat about someone in the main chat and accidentally add them. It happens more than it should. If you’re forming a spin-off, do it with purpose and clear objectives. No one needs “Brunch Group 4.0 – Final FINAL version.”
15. The Archive-and-Forget Option
There’s freedom in letting go. When a group chat dies a natural death, the conversation slows, the last meme hits differently, and no one replies for a month, don’t resurrect it. Don’t send a random “hey guys!” at 11pm to “revive the vibe.” It’s over. Archive it with dignity and let the next chat rise from its ashes.
16. The ‘Don’t @ Everyone Unless the Building Is on Fire’ Rule
Tagging the entire group should be treated like pulling a fire alarm. If your message involves free food, a missing wallet, or genuine emergency gossip, go ahead. Otherwise, tagging everyone because you found a funny TikTok is a cry for attention, and the group knows it.
Group chats are the modern campfire, messy, loud, occasionally dramatic, but filled with warmth and inside jokes. The trick is to know when to speak, when to listen, and when to quietly mute and scroll. If everyone followed just half these rules, the world (and our phones) would be a much calmer place.
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