Keith, Just Added to Study GroupMe, Thinks He Has the Right to Add Two Friends

All was normal in the “Anthro 28 Homies” GroupMe until earlier today when the class study clique decided to add Keith to the chat. The choice to add Keith was unanimous, as everyone in the group thought he was kind of cool. Besides, Janice peeked at his last midterm grade, and needless to say, he could be an asset for the upcoming final exam.

Only four minutes after Keith was added to the group chat, the other members noticed that he added two other people from the class without consulting any of them. This move caught the original members off-guard. It wasn’t as though they were exclusive, but they liked keeping the group to a simple six or seven. And they barely even know the two new people, which is uncomfortable in a group of only nine.

The other members were baffled by what gave Keith the idea that he, the newest addition, has the right to decide who is invited into the group. They rarely ever talk to him in class, and everyone else in the chat joined at the same time. Surely Keith saw the original notification showing “Cole added Christie, Janice P., Neil, Spicy Sean, and Tara Jenkins to the group.”

This also sets a dangerous precedent. What’s to stop the two new people from inviting their friends? What if nearly the entire class gets into the GroupMe? Then the study sessions become like an x-hour. This expansion could have severe repercussions. Once the group gets big enough, the majority might decide to hold the study session at 9 pm on Tuesdays, but everyone in the original crew knows that Christie has a cappella rehearsal at that time. The regrettable situation Keith put the “Homies” in will likely lead to frantic direct messages and perhaps the formation of a whole new group chat (this one without Keith).

– BN ’20