She used to come when I called or texted her - no problem at all. Now she insists that I announce the meetup in the group chat, or she won't show up. It seems weird to me, but maybe I'm just old-fashioned?
You're not old-fashioned, your friend just changed her behavior :) It's actually weird because a private invitation is a normal way to make plans, and demanding a public announcement looks like she wants everyone to see that she's being invited. Maybe she's craving attention, or she's playing some game like "I'm popular, people want me." Maybe she just wants to look in-demand to other people in the chat.
First step - ask her directly, without being aggressive: like, why did this suddenly change, you used to just call each other and sort things out fine? Sometimes people don't realize they're acting weird, and an honest question can snap them out of it. If she explains her reason, you two can actually discuss it. If she starts defending herself or making excuses - that's a hint that it's intentional behavior, and then it's really a question: are you willing to put up with these conditions?
In practice, I'd just stop overthinking it and write in the chat when you're planning to meet up. If it's not a hassle for you - do it the way she prefers. If it is a hassle - then your friendship needs boundaries, and you can say: "Listen, I think we should hang out because we actually want to see each other, not just for the sake of a message in the chat." Friendship shouldn't be a performance 🙂
Log into answer.
