I Think I’ve Found My New Pet Peeve.
(April 6, 2005)

I just had a quick and dirty conversation with one of my classmates and friends over the instant messaging medium MSN. It’s a great tool; friends from around the world can get together and talk to each other, view each other on webcams or speak freely through voice chats. We can draw silly graphics with mouses and give each other emo-cons, nudges and winks like there were no tomorrow. I can tell when you are online, offline, busy, free to chat, and am connected to your online profile (should you choose to fill one out). Best of all, it’s heavily linked to a popular free e-mail system, so almost everyone on the world should theoretically be on MSN because they already have all the tools to do so.

But it’s become a nightmare. I have people messaging me when I don’t want them to. I leave my computer online as much as possible, and leave for periods of a time. I can return to see I’ve had multiple people from multiple factions of my life messaging me to get a glimpse of where my life is headed. For the longest time I’ve heard how cell phones and pagers are intrusive to a quiet and simple life. I think they’re wrong. I think instant messaging has become the intrusive technology.

It does me no good for someone to come online, question me harshly regarding ideas that I do not understand, discuss topics I have no desire to discuss, then simply go offline before I get a chance to say bye. Sure not everyone does this. Not everyone is rude and unfeeling. But I treat MSN and other IM programs like telephone calls. I say hi, how are you before beginning a conversation. I question hey, got a minute? Before asking a(nother) question. I say please. I say thank you. I say bye, and wait for a return before leaving.

When you pick up a phone, you don’t expect the first thing you hear to be “So what did you get on your marketing assignment?” or “Send me those notes for class okay?”… Why is it the first thing you read on your conversation “what’d u get on your mkt-ass?” or “Send me Lisi’s notes” We’ve all by now (hopefully) been thoroughly educated on netiquette regarding forums, and e-mails. Perhaps it should be written the netiquette for IMs as well.

I’m irked. I’m extremely irked. This one particular person has gotten more and more on my nerves as time has gone on, simply because of his mannerisms regarding MSN. Sadly, he’s also a friend, so what am I really supposed to do?

(Edit: After the second person from the same educational outlet asked me strange and silly questions, I felt the need to blow up a little and vent frustrations towards this unknowing character. All is well, and I hope at least one will now learn the art of research before hounding someone else for all the easy answers.)

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