Daughter asks Gen X dad why he doesn't like family group chat—she was definitely not ready for his answer

We’ve all been part of some kind of group chat. While some people enjoy the constant updates, for others, the nonstop notifications can be overwhelming. A Gen X dad shares a similar frustration for wanting to leave his family's group chat, and his hilarious reaction has gone viral. Singer Inés Rae–who goes by @inesraemusic on TikTok–shared a conversation with her 52-year-old father, known as "Daddy Rae," where he explained why he finds the family WhatsApp group unbearable, per Newsweek. At the start of the video, Inés asks him, "What did you just ask? Can I leave the group chat?"

Her dad immediately confirms, "Yes, cause it just goes ding and then it’s just all talking...and whenever I hear it, it makes me feel sick." He explains that he isn’t only stuck in the family chat but is constantly bombarded with notifications from multiple group chats. "I mean, I’d like everyone being friends together, but I don’t know if the messages are for me," he admits. He further says, "With normal one-on-one talking, you know that they’re talking to you, but with the group chat, how do you know it’s for you?" The conversation takes a funnier turn when the topic of message reactions comes up. He immediately jumps in with his frustration, saying, "But they haven’t written anything, they’ve just done like a thumbs-up on the thing you’ve said."

When Inés explains that reactions are just an easy way for people to acknowledge a message, he seems unimpressed. "But then I normally phone them up and say, 'There wasn’t a message!'" he reveals. His frustration extends beyond just WhatsApp. He complains about the overwhelming number of ways people communicate now. He says, "There’s the email, there’s the group chat, there’s the one-to-one chat, WhatsApp does the iPhone cloud thing. There are millions of ones! It takes me about an hour to check all the messages." Inés, who regularly posts lighthearted videos of her dad, told the outlet that he has always been resistant to technology.

She shared, "He hates his phone, he doesn’t know how to use it, and he never has. He doesn’t like having all the notifications come up because it confuses him. He would prefer everyone to talk to each other in person." She also shared that her dad had a heart transplant in 2021, an experience that inspired her song "Someone Else’s Heart." Despite his struggles with modern messaging, he remains a devoted and supportive father. The viral video has gained over 268K views, with many viewers relating to his struggles with endless notifications and the confusion over group chat etiquette.

@drjacklopez said, "Show him the mute option." @hnqjsvsn wrote, "Imagine you react to a message and the other person calls you for clarification." @crossfitanddoughn added, "My dad has it muted and checks in once a month." @katekitching285 noted, "'Too many ways to be involved'—very true." @laoiseallen commented, "This is literally my dad every time someone says anything." @user98765432121234567890 quipped, "'With a normal talking thing.' My dad didn't ask. He just left with no reason, but was immediately re-added."

You can follow Inés Rae (@inesraemusic) on TikTok for more musical content.