Trying to decipher someone else's intentions while texting can sometimes be quite tricky. Naturally, any generational gap between the texters, big or small, only adds to the confusion.
Elizabeth Castaldi, a 27-year-old content creator from Newport, Rhode Island, shared with her followers a text message she received from a 35-year-old man that she found too ambiguous.
Highlights
- 27-year-old Elizabeth Castaldi sparked debate after sharing a "dry" post-date message from a 35-year-old man.
- Elizabeth and followers analyzed the text, highlighting generational differences in texting styles.
- Some commenters found the man's text normal, while others expected more enthusiasm.
"Hey, had fun last night. Have a good day," the man wrote after the pair went on a date.
Elizabeth added the caption: "I have to start dating people my own age (But I won't)," along with the hashtag #badtexter.
Image credits: elizabethannecastaldi
In a follow-up video, the 27-year-old shared a screenshot of her response: "Me too! I hope your day is going well."
The woman explained she was interested in seeing the 35-year-old again, but she wasn't quite sure if he felt the same way.
"Let's be clear; I do not have the ick. I just can't read him, and I really, really want to go on a second date," she shared.
"Hey, had fun last night. Have a good day," were the man's words after what Elizabeth considered to be an enjoyable date
Image credits: elizabethannecastaldi
While some believed the man was too cold and had shown no signs of being interested in her, others considered the text to be a normal post-date message.
"I'm confused. How is this bad?" someone commented.
"It's the periods for me, like why are you so ANGRY," another woman said.
The Gen-Z woman referred to the millennial man as a "bad texter" and said she couldn't understand his intentions
Image credits: elizabethannecastaldi
"Me trying to decipher a 37-year-old's texts right now…. So it's not just me???" wrote a separate social media user.
"The lack of emojis and exclamation got me overthinking," an additional user chimed in.
Another woman shared: "Girl, my boyfriend texts like this haha. He's also 34."
"I just can't read him, and I really, really want to go on a second date," she shared
Image credits: yogiinpinkk
"For someone that's turning 36 on Friday and hates texting, be patient," advised another millennial.
A man then told Elizabeth not to read too much into the apparently dry message.
"I'm 30 and a dude that texts the same way. We just don't really have much to say and would rather save it for in person."
Image credits: yogiinpinkk
Then, a few men in their thirties asked Elizabeth for some tips on how to text a Gen-Zer they were romantically interested in.
"Can I ask, what should it say? Because I definitely say the same thing. I'm 35," wrote a TikTok user.
The content creator responded that the message she would've liked to receive was: "Hey, I had fun last night! I'd love to see you again."
Some people believed the man was too cold and had shown no signs of being interested in Elizabeth, while others considered the text to be a normal post-date message
In an update posted on Friday (May 17), the Gen-Zer shared a screenshot of another conversation she had with the man.
"Morning! I'm free on Wednesday and would love to see you again," the Newport resident texted.
"Hey, good morning. Next week may be a little crazy with work as I have some deals closing. Basically, I'm not sure I'd be able to make it to RI. So maybe we play it by ear a little," the 35-year-old responded.
"No worries, love! If you want to choose a centerpoint, that's OK! I'll leave that up to you."
"Yeah, I don't have a car in the city which makes a centerpoint difficult lol," the man responded.
Elizabeth then messaged the 35-year-old to tell him she wanted to see him again
Image credits: yogiinpinkk
"Oh OK, I forgot about that," Elizabeth texted. "You just let me know what works for you! I do work this weekend but I'm not closing so [I] could do a late dinner. Leaving the ball in your court, love! Xo."
The conversation ended with a "Sounds good" from the man.
The 27-year-old captioned the post, "I've decided he's just not that into me. I tried!"
While some people think that texts without emojis are emotionless, a recent study has found that men and women interpret these digital pictograms differently, which can add ambiguity to a conversation.
Researchers selected 24 emojis and labeled them according to six emotional states: happy, disgusted, fearful, sad, surprised, and angry.
They found women were able to more accurately interpret happy, fearful, sad, and angry emoji labels compared to men. Meanwhile, the interpretation of surprised and disgusted emojis showed no gender differences and were understood equally by both men and women.
The content creator captioned the post, "I've decided he's just not that into me. I tried!"
Image credits: elizabethannecastaldi
Image credits: elizabethannecastaldi
"It is important to note that the results reflect how often participants labeled the emoji in the same way as the researchers," explained Dr. Ruth Filik, associate professor in the School of Psychology at The University of Nottingham.
"So, we should think of the results in terms of there being differences across people in how they interpret emojis, rather than some people being better at it than others."
"I realized I was old when I didn't see an issue," joked a social media user
