The New York Times: “…By my count, I’m in eight group chats of varying intensity and longevity, between SMS and messaging apps. My longest-running group chat rose from the ashes of a failed workplace diversity committee. Over time, the conversation roamed far beyond work problems. (If you find me silently shaking with laughter over my phone, I’m probably in this chat.) When the pandemic took hold and several members moved, the chat didn’t experience even a blip. This is the beauty of group chats for people dealing with work, kids, aging parents and pandemic restrictions — there’s always a party going on in your phone, with no scheduling or snack platters required. Unlike on social media, there are no likes or shares or points to be scored, unless you count dropping gossip so hot it elicits the coveted one-word response “Screaming” — no punctuation. My other chats sustain me in different ways. In a smaller one, we discuss heavier family drama, and I’m convinced each of us has revealed things there that we have never told another living soul. Some chats don’t even need many words…But I appreciate how, in the apocalyptic landscape of our algorithmically juiced culture wars, a group chat is a refuge where my ideas and thoughts don’t have to be fully formed and battle ready. We grant one another a little grace, even when discussing polarizing topics such as defunding the police or the high cost of housing..”