TLDR - Messaging features such as 'Last Active' and 'Read' are harmful, and cause more problems than they solve due to creating unrealistic expectations of communication

Communication has vastly changed with the advent of social media and mobile phones. Most messaging services that require an internet connection allow you to see when a person was last active, when they have received your message and when they have read that message. Whilst on the surface these seem like handy tools, I believe they cause more problems than they solve.

These features play into paranoia of being ignored and unwanted. They provide an indicator that tells the sender that, for all intents and purposes, the recipient should have read the message, and if they haven't replied then it must mean they are ignoring them. Gone are the days it seems, when there was an understanding that messages should be replied to when the recipient wishes to. There is an expectation that we should be in constant communication with each other, and that anything other than that is in someway a slight.

As someone who is 'notoriously bad' at replying (in the words of many people), I often fall short in this area. And yet, I am someone that doesn't like to chat for chatting's sake. What might be seen as me 'ignoring' someone, is more a case of not wishing to reply just yet, for a multitude of different reasons. I might be busy, I might not feel like chatting right now, or I might just not be on my phone. But the immediacy of mobile messaging, particularly when combined with 'last active' and 'read' features has created a sense of guilt if messages are not replied to fairly quickly.

It is a story I'm sure we've all heard from friends or perhaps ourselves, in which meaning is inferred from someone being active "5 minutes ago" but the message was sent an hour ago. It must mean they don't like them, perhaps they are being ghosted. These are conclusions that always seem to be drawn before more innocent ones are considered.

You can opt out of having an active status, and in some apps can even opt out of having read receipts. But by default they are on, suggesting that this is the paranoid, knowing a little too much, world that the social media giants want us to participate in.

tl;dr: Last active features help in letting people know if they can get an instant response on the platform and avoid confrontation over ignorance.

The last active feature can allow people to know whether or not they will get an instant response. This can be helpful if needing an immediate answer as if they are not active you can switch to another platform or call them instead of guessing if they will or will not instantly reply.

The ‘last active’ message can help avoid confrontation over accusations of being ignorant. If you know a person is not active, you better understand they may be experiencing connectivity issues or are doing something else and not avoiding the conversation.

While these features can seem like an invasion of privacy, most platforms do allow them to be turned off if they make people uncomfortable. For example, Apple settings allow you to turn off read receipts feature for IMessage and WhatsApp.

TL;DR While "Last Active" and "Read" features can be useful they also create opportunities for conflict and misunderstanding

The gradual erosion of boundaries and privacy can incite future conflict by establishing unrealistic expectations of communication. They give only a small, fractional insight into a persons’ activities. Those activities that are reflected are entirely digital. Though obviously tied to physical actions and experiences, there is no room for nuanced understanding.

For some it is tempting to infer larger meaning where there is none and fill in missing information with assumption. In contexts where relationships are already strained by miscommunication or coloured by established conceptions this has the potential to inspire mistrust; frustration and anger- sometimes with real world consequences. This shouldn’t be a reflection on the character of individuals so much as it should the ongoing entanglement of the digital and physical aspects of life. The two things are in some aspects closely integrated, in others there remain important distinctions which should not be overlooked in discussions about digital relationships.

Features like “last active” and “read” statuses might facilitate better insight but users must actively work to understand that they cannot form a basis for expectation and that to do so could be harmful for all parties.

TL;DR: 'Last Active' and 'Read' messaging features can help in practical and even emergency situations therefore disputing this claim that they do more harm than good.

Social relations aside, these features can be useful in countless scenarios. For example, if someone isn't replying to your message but they haven't been active for a long period of time it seems reasonable to conclude that they just aren't on their phone, or its turned off or maybe even out of battery. This prevents family and friends from wondering and worrying. Alternatively, if they haven't been online since 3am the day before it can be reason to start investigating instead of merely assuming that they just haven't replied yet. Last active features can also help you work out if someone is around for a quick chat or even if they have overslept.

The 'Read' feature is equally as useful as even if the recipient doesn't reply, the sender can identify whether they've received the information. This is helpful in situations such as buying something at the shops to simply just keeping someone updated on your whereabouts.

Therefore, both 'Last Active' and 'Read' messaging features have practical purposes enabling them to do more good than harm.