How to free yourself from the clutches of WeChat, instantly
Kelly Yang reports on the sense of calm, better focus on work, and the meaningful interactions that come from turning off the message notification on her phone
I recently made the bold and risky decision to turn off notifications of new messages on my phone in an effort to escape the relentless tentacles of WeChat and WhatsApp. WeChat, in particular, is brutal as it combines instant messaging with the Chinese custom of politeness and always responding punctually to people.
The result is an avalanche of voice messages at all hours of the day. Friends living in mainland China report they wake up to WeChat and fall asleep to WeChat. Here in Hong Kong, it hasn’t got quite that bad yet, but every day we inch a little closer. Recently, I found myself carrying on conversations on WeChat with emojis late into the night because neither party wanted to be rude and end the conversation first. That’s when I thought, “That’s it. The madness must stop!”
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I picked up my phone and turned off the notifications. Then, I stared at the thing, in its bizarre muted state. It felt so strange not to have any bells or whistles that immediately demanded my attention. For a second, I felt a tinge of anxiety – what if someone’s messaging me right now about something important? I shoved my hand in my pocket to keep myself from giving in and tapping open the icon. And then, when I finally believed the thing was truly dormant, and wasn’t going to jump up and bite me, I let out a deep breath, one which felt like I had been holding for years. Calm walked towards me like an old friend.
In the days after turning off notifications, my behaviour changed, not just in terms of work but across the board. I was able to focus more intensely on projects and be more productive. No surprise there, given the recent research by Stanford psychologist Emma Seppala on the perils of constantly engaging with our phones and what it does to our stress levels and cognitive abilities.
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What was surprising was how turning off notifications actually improved my social life. Instead of WhatsApping a friend, I went on a walk with her and had a real conversation. And we actually just walked and talked – we didn’t stop to take selfies to show how we were living an Instagrammable life.
