ABSTRACT

THE SILENT WHATSAPP MESSAGES: FROM DISAPPOINTMENT TO THE JOY OF RECONNECTION THROUGH SMALL RESPONSES

Journal: Social Values and Society (SVS)
Author: Chee Kong Yap

This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License CC BY 4.0, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited

DOI: 10.26480/svs.02.2025.96.98

On the morning of 19 July 2025, I experienced an emotional episode sparked by the silence of my former and current students in our WhatsApp group. After sharing a personal article, a reflection developed over two decades, I found only four out of seventeen students responded. This silence led me to question whether I had misjudged the bond I believed I had with them. The emotions deepened when I recalled the muted responses I received after sharing about my mother’s passing. This article documents that raw experience—from my first reactions, thoughts about dismantling the group, to the overwhelming wave of responses that later poured in. These student replies—tantalizing, reflective, and educative—restored my faith in why I continue to share. In this piece, I express my internal dialogue with honesty, revisit every response with gratitude, and offer reflections on mentorship, vulnerability, and the simple power of a reply.

Pages 96-98
Year 2025
Issue 2
Volume 7