Respond to a long and elaborate message with a brief and blunt “ok”. Write “haha” before a supposedly hilarious anecdote that invites you to know more. Put the emoji that launches a kiss in a controversial conversation that requires debate to imply that there is nothing more to talk. These are some of the ways to change the tone and suddenly end a digital talk. This is the dry texting or the “dry messages”, a passive-agreesive way to respond with monosyllables, short and sharp phrases or emojis that cut the conversational rhythm while introducing a halo of disconnection and disconsoity.
In an era in which we have learned to read between the lines, to detect hidden tones in the black on white (in the case of WhatsApp, black on olive green) written on a screen. The interpretation of words, symbols, tones and emojis has become a world sport for a hyperconnected society but in which people feel more and more disconnected on the emotional plane.
“The ‘Dry Texting’ is a clear reflection of that: cold, concise messages, without the intention of generating link,” explains Ami Bondía, communicator, speaker and writer. “A simple ok o o vale Without more it may not seem much … but according to the moment and the context, it can hurt more than a silence. Digital language lacks tone, expression, visible intention. So who receives the message ends up putting his own emotional filter, which is not always the most optimistic. Many times, behind that dry texting There is no bad intention, there is simply tiredness, automatism or lack of communicative skills. But if that is repeated, we feel that there is a lack of interest or even indifference. Actually, what is many times is a lack of emotional education in the digital environment. Therefore, recovering warmth and intention in the virtual world becomes an act of responsibility, ”he says.
Albert C, project manager 42 years old, he has an expert friend in launching cutting answers that always bother him. He confesses that although he would have to be accustomed, this way of answering unnerves. “I don’t care if it’s his way of being. When I propose a plan that does not fit him, he answers things like ‘busy’ or ‘another day’, without giving more explanations. It makes me feel that he is not interested in our friendship at all. I am aware that there are dry people when talking by message, but he is not, so when he launches a monosyllable, I get angry,” he says. These types of messages can hurt the feelings of the interlocutor and damage any type of relationship, from friendly to even labor. In fact, in Tiktok there are numerous videos of users who wonder how to act in the face of this type of cutting responses.
Mar Spain, author of (Roca Editorial, 2025), considers that it is best to make the other person know how to feel this behavior. “They say that emotions, if they are not expressed, rot. The key is to express it in a respectful way, naming the fact without subjective assessment, expressing our feelings and needs. And if the other person does not react to our need for respect, we must take measures,” he says. “It is important that people can return to our axis and our values and measure the consequences of our digital footprint in others. What happens in the network, has criminal, civil, administrative and ethical consequences on earth,” says Spain.
Moreover, in July 2023 that the use of an emoticon in a WhatsApp conversation held between an entrepreneur and a farmer could not be stripped of its meaning, thus charging legal value. This is where businessman Kent Mickleborough asked the farmer Chris Achter if he accepted the proposed conditions, responding with the emotion of a thumb up. The court considered that the use of emoticon was valid to understand that it accepted the agreement and in this way, as Mar Spain pointed out, it was clear that the law does not ignore the use made daily of technology.
Given that we learn to discuss and fight in person, could the sending of ambiguous signals by text message make us face the conflicts in which there is no screen in between? Emily Lawrenson, communication manager of Qustodio, believes that messaging communication eliminates many of the elements that help us understand each other, such as body language, intonation and the immediate response of the other. “If we leave the important conversations in the hands of the digital we lose opportunities to develop conflict resolution skills and put aside key signals that help us interpret the intention of the other,” he says. He considers that this is especially relevant to adolescents and young people, who have grown up with this type of communication but are still learning to work socially.
“Digital misunderstandings can be transferred to real -life conflicts and lasting lasting relationships. Learning to balance both forms of communication is essential to build healthy links. These types of messages are very susceptible to misunderstandings, lacking emotion, context or intonation, key elements to correctly interpret a conversation,” he says. When the body language or facial expression does not come into play, it is easy for the message to be received as cold or distant, even if there is no bad intention.
He ghostingthe practice of disappearing virtually or leaving view A message has become a classic of the digital conversations promoted largely by appointment applications. This behavior is very harmful, because there is no closure, it generates doubts and assumptions that make this talk ended without any explanation remains anchored in memory and feeds an exhausting runrún of who saw how the conversation or even the relationship was terminated. Technology, which had to unite and favor communication, at the same time has made ignoring others easier. Mar Spain points out that the technological universe uses techniques for social and reward validation, through addictive patterns, which are deeply affecting the self -esteem and essence of people. “More and more and especially for young people, the goal of our virtual communication is to achieve that social validation, based on external and the superficial. And if someone stigmatizes, the damage has much more impact, it can be viral, immediate and omnipresent,” he explains.
Bondía warns that written messages do not allow a rich communication in nuances. “A ‘seems good to me’ may sound neutral or may sound like ‘I don’t care’, according to who reads it and how he feels at that time. And when we do not clarify things, the conflict is enquist. Therefore, more than ever, it is necessary to educate in emotional and communicative skills. In such a digital world, knowing how to communicate from authenticity is a super power,” he says. Conclusion? Faced with a okcall by phone.
