Have You Met the IM Phantom?

2005-01-08T11:51:00.000-08:00

This microsite is dedicated to cataloging instances of the IM Phantom. Have you felt his passing? Have you felt any similar phantom communication passing? Does this happen to anyone besides introverts?

Share your IM phantom experiences with me at gfrench at gmail dot com.

What is the IM Phantom?

2005-01-08T11:45:00.000-08:00

The IM phantom lives inside of me.

The IM phantom first visited me when I was sitting at the lunch table at my cafeteria at work with a group of coworkers.

Who was there? Several people. Probably Shannon, Al, Jon, and I think Paul, maybe Adam. These are some of my coworkers who I eat lunch with.

So the IM phantom struck me as I sat there and heard someone make a comment to which I immediately had a cruel thought that I did not say for fear of hurting feelings. A thought I would normally have IMed to someone.

So I actually made a reach for my keyboard though I was eating in the cafeteria and far from my desk. I reached to type and then wished that I could make an instant message appear before the face of a coworker who would find cruel humor satisfaction in my comment.

I sat there as the cruel thought's moment of relevance faded with the passing of time. And that was when I was first visited by the IM phantom.

InstantMessagePhantom

Have You Met the IM Phantom?

What is the IM Phantom?