As Americans continue to practice social distancing, our phones are our main connection to friends, loved ones, and potential suitors. Without face-to-face contact, each text carries more weight than ever before..including those messages we wished we never sent.
Basic Seltzer recently surveyed over 2,000 people to learn about their regrets when it comes to texting. Whether the text was to an ex late at night or a parent when it should’ve gone to a friend, there are countless examples of regrettable texts in today’s modern society. Let’s take a look at what they learned from their recent survey.
51% of people said they have been afraid to look at their phones or messages that they have sent the morning after drinking or partying. When asked who you’ve sent a regrettable text to, these were the top responses:
1. Ax ex (26%)
2. A friend (21%)
3. A significant other (20%)
4. A crush (18%)
5. A parent or sibling (9%)
6. A boss or coworker (6%)
35% said they have had a friendship end over a regrettable text. When asked what made you hit send on a regrettable text 62% of respondents said they were being emotional, 22% of respondents said that they were being careless and 16% said they had been drinking when they sent a regrettable text. When asked why they regretted sending the text, 46% said it was because they were being mean. 42% said they looked desperate to a crush. 34% said they looked desperate to an ex. 29% said they were gossiping, and they regretted their behavior. 23% said it was a sexy message that got in the wrong hands after sending it.
The next part of the survey on regrettable texts asked people about their top excuses for sending a text that they regret. 44% responded by saying it was a joke when it actually was not a joke. 32% of respondents said they pretended to be drinking because they were so embarrassed by what they had sent. 22% responded by saying that someone else actually sent the text instead of them. 62% of people who regretted sending a text said that they realized their mistake within seconds or minutes of sending the text.
Crushes and texting were a major trend that was found by Basic Seltzer in this survey. 62% of people said they have texted a crush or ex they wouldn’t have texted when they were sober. Surprisingly enough, 25% of people have admitted to saying I love you for the first time over text. 39% of surveyed respondents said they have actually had a relationship end because of a text that they sent. 27% of respondents said they have ended a relationship over text. As you can see people are having serious relationships in their lives impacted by their texting actions.
When it comes to the biggest regrets that people have when texting a crush or significant other, 60% of people said they regret expressing their feelings for someone else too quickly in a relationship. 47% of respondents said the regretted messaging too much and thought they looked desperate to the other person. 37% said the regretted becoming intimate too quickly over text. These are just more examples that show how much of an impact texting has on our modern relationships both in dating, family, and friendships.
The survey also looked at how people texted others that they were interested in becoming intimate with. 62% of surveyed respondents said they have messaged someone they swore they wouldn’t before the night started. 36% said that they have texted an ex hoping to try and hook up with them and have been largely ignored because of it. 30% of people said they have texted a friend with benefits and have been ignored because of the texts that they sent.
One of the more interesting takeaways of the survey found that men are more likely to get left on read that women. For those who are not familiar with the term “left on read”, that is a slang terms for when someone has read a message on their smartphone but have not responded to the sender’s message. The read message is displayed on the screen of the iPhone and other popular smartphones. 37% of men said they have messaged an ex hoping to hook up but have been left on read where only 24% of women said they have messaged an ex hoping to hook up but have been left on read. 45% of men said they’ve done the same but to a friend with benefits and have been left on read. In comparison, only 29% of women have been left on read by a friend with benefits.
The next part of the survey asked about sending nudes or sexts via text message. 64% of respondents have admitted to sending a nude over text. 49% of those people admitted that they regretted it after sending it. When looking at breakdowns between men and women who have sent a nude over text, 65% of men have said they regretted it where 75% of women say they regretted sending it after the fact. 1 in 5 people said they actually sent a sext or nude to the wrong person.
As you can see there from the survey results from Basic Seltzer, there are many regrets that people have from texting. Whether the text is sent to a friend, family member, a boss or colleague or an ex, we all sometimes say and send things that we later regret. Because of this, it’s important to send messages over text with caution. Once we hit the send button it cannot be undone. It’s important to think about the messages you are sending beforehand, otherwise, you might be the next person to have a regrettable text.
Infographic by: drinkbasic.com
