Typically, victims of textual harassment are most prone to suffer from post traumatic text disorder. Excessive strings of
single-sentence or even
single-word texts are the most common cause of PTTD. How uninteresting or irrelevant a text or string of texts are is positively correlated to their propensity to traumatize the receiver. Also, the earlier or later in the
day these texts are sent, the more likely they are to increase the severity of PTTD symptoms. The signs and symptoms of PTTD are:
-having startled responses to text alerts
-ignoring all received texts due to fear and/fatigue caused by the individual textual harasser
-engaging excessively in activities prohibitive to
phone use for the very purpose of avoiding texts
-googling how to
block messages without blocking calls
-dreaming of traveling to the location of the textual harasser, smashing their
phone, and leaving
Example:
Joe receives sports updates from his
friend every single day as early as 6AM and as late as 1AM. Joe starts telling his
friend that he'
s going to sleep earlier and earlier, hoping his friend
will be courteous and not text. Joe's friend (the textual harasser) is not courteous and still texts. Joe silences his phone and begins to ignore all texts. Joe feels bad about lying, and instead of confronting his friend, he actually goes to bed when he says he's going to bed.
Joe starts to sleep 12 hours a day, develops bed sores, chronic back
pain, and his marriage falls apart. Joe becomes the first person diagnosed with Post Traumatic Text Disorder.