These days, there's no end of ways people can get hold of you. Lost your phone? No probs - I'll catch you on Facebook. Not answering my WhatsApp? Fear not, I'll text you. With messages coming in left right ans centre on loads of different platforms, replying to people can be kind of a ballache. Here's how long you've got to ignore each message for before you risk looking like a dick.
1. Texting
**Time you can legitimately get away with not replying: 20 minutes
**
Texting is a scary one, it's the most personal way (short of a phone call and when was the last time you actually phoned someone) to get in contact with a person. It's the 2016 equivalent of showing up at someone's door, unannounced, cradling a homecooked lasagne and inviting yourself in to stay for the weekend. Why not do a poo in their toilet too? That's how comfortable you clearly are with this person. As a result, be a good mate and text back ASAP.
2. Whatsapp
**Time you can legitimately get away with not replying: 1 hour
**
People need to chill out on Whatsapp. Look away for 20 seconds and you've got 324 new messages and none of them are interesting and none of them are directed at you. Nevertheless you are fully expected to participate in the conversation, otherwise you're that creepy lurker in the group who's got nothing to say but lives vicariously through everyone's else. Seeing as there's usually so many people involved, you've probably got a little while before participation becomes necessary.**
**
3. Snapchat
** Time you can legitimately get away with not replying:** 2 hours**
**
Thankfully Snapchat stories have dampened the need for private messages on the app. Why let just one person see a video of your mate Johnny drinking a beer wearing the dog mask when you could expose it to LOADS of people? Also, most people over the age of 25 are shit scared of Snapchat and, whilst they have it on their phone, wouldn't have a clue how to answer a message if it manifested itself like a Howler in Harry Potter. If you're over 25, you've got free range never to reply. Otherwise, get on it.
4. Email
**Time you can legitimately get away with not replying: 5 hours
**
This depends on how seriously you take your job and whether we're talking about work emails or personal emails. For personal emails, all bets are off mate. I've got 3,388 unread messages in my Gmail that aren't ever getting read and that is a badge of disorganisation that I wear with pride. For work emails though, if you're hungover, you can have five hours, if you're not, maybe like two.
5. Facebook Messenger
** Time you can legitimately get away with not replying: 24 hours
**
Probably because there's STILL SOME PEOPLE that only check Facebook on a grown-up, dead formal desktop computer, you get a bit of leeway with Facebook messaging. Obviously senders can see when you've read the message so remember, once you've opened it, you're screwed.
6. Twitter DMs
** Time you can legitimately get away with not replying**: 4-5 days
It's usually people you don't know who message you on Twitter. Because you're a lazy sonovabitch and socially awkward, you're realitsically never going to meet these new 'friends' IRL which means that in not replying to them, you guilt levels should remain pretty low.
7. Instagram DMs
** Time you can legitimately get away with not replying:** Forever
If you're messaging me on Instagram, you can do one. Get the hell off my social media. It's weird and I don't like it. Or you.
Like this? Then you might also be interested in:
There's A Hack To Turn Off That Annoying Snapchat Screenshot Notification, But Does It Work?
Excellent News: iPhone Update Will Let You Get Rid Of Those Undeletable Apps
**
Follow Jess on Twitter @Jess_Commons
This article originally appeared on The Debrief.