Read receipt

Overview

A read receipt is a feature that tells the sender when the recipient has opened or viewed a message they sent. The "Read" label in LINE is well known, and some other messaging apps have similar features too. Read receipts ease the worry of "did my message get through?" but at the same time, they created a new social pressure: being left on read (kidoku suruu, also called kidoku mushi).

The pressure of being left on read

When a message shows as read but no reply comes, which is what people call being left on read, it can make the sender anxious or uncomfortable. Feelings like "they read it and ignored me" or "maybe they don't like me" come up, and this can sometimes turn into trouble in a relationship.

In reality, there are all kinds of reasons someone can't reply even after reading a message. They're busy, they're thinking about what to say, they meant to reply later and forgot, and so on. Reading a message doesn't mean you have to reply, but read receipts create that illusion.

Why question boxes have no read receipts

Question box services have no read receipts. Senders can't know whether the owner has read their question.

Without read receipts, owners can choose to "read it but not answer" without feeling guilty. Senders, too, are less likely to have the negative feeling that they've been left on read. If no answer comes, there's still room to see it in a positive light: "Maybe they haven't read it yet."

Living with read receipts

When you use social media that has read receipts, there are tips for freeing yourself from the pressure. First, let go of your own rule that "read means reply right away." Decide that replying at your own pace is fine, and don't expect instant replies from the other person either.

In apps that let you turn read receipts off, turning them off is also an option. But rather than relying only on settings, it's worth keeping in mind that "a read receipt is just a technical notification, not a measure of your relationship."