You know that feeling. You text. You wait. You text again. Still waiting. The other person? They’ll get to it. Eventually. Maybe.
Yeah. That.
It has a name. Its attention theft. And it is everywhere.
In today’s world of social media and smartphones, SO many people are addicted to attention and dopamine. They need constant validation. Your texts give them that hit. But they give you almost nothing back — not equal energy, not equal time, not equal effort.
Pete’s Texting Equation can make it simpler to see:
RESPOND(Tvibe) + MATCH(Vibe) + INITIATE = 50%?
- RESPOND(Tvibe) —Respond/Time Vibe= Respond in whatever amount of time feels appropriate for the situation/person.
- MATCH(Vibe) — Are you matching each other’s energy, words/vibe, word count, and emojis? Is the average response time similar?
- INITIATE — Are both people starting conversations half the time? 50/50?
The key point: If the conversation is NOT = 50% — your attention, time, and energy is being stolen. An attention addict is getting their hit/drug!
=GET OUT OF THE CONVERSATION.
Go back and check ALL of your texts and conversations right now. Be honest with yourself.
If everyone followed this equation, perhaps 80% of all communication would stop. And the people who remained? They would finally be talking to the people who actually care.