The Instant Message Misshap

One of my son Taylor’s friends had been using my computer earlier in the week and was logged into an application that allows for Instant Messaging.

This application was never logged off and so, today, another young person sent a couple of quick instant messages which were intended for this original young man but it was received to my computer because the program was still logged on at my computer under his name. (If you can follow that sentence, you have an IQ above 125.)

This is sort of like reading someone else’s mail except that it was all very unintentional. (I know that sounds like a weak excuse, but it’s true, really.)

The messages contained the kind of content that probably wouldn’t be very unusual for one young fella to send to another young fella and they weren’t anything really terrible, but it’s possible they weren’t the kind of thing that you would want your friend’s dad—who happens to be a minister—to read.

I immediately forwarded a response to the sender of the messages letting him know that I wasn’t WHO he thought I was and apologizing for allowing the miscommunication to occur. (I joked that I could get arrested for “impersonating a friend”. That carries a stiff penalty in some states.) The sender of the IMs still wasn’t completely sure if his buddy was pulling his leg or if he was really, now, IM-ing with his friend’s dad, the pastor of the church. He apologized to me for the messages and said he was embarrassed. I told him it was my fault and apologized to him. He apologized back. Then I returned yet another apology.

Before it was over both of us had apologized 9 or 10 times and used the “LOL” designation about 15 or 20 times. I’m sure he really will be able to laugh heartily about all of this after 7 or 8 months of therapy.

Hey, all these sophisticated technological tools are supposed to IMPROVE communication, right?


P.S. I have also apologized to the original owner of the application that was logged on to my computer. And after I finish posting this message I’m restricting all my future computer use to playing “Pong”.

P.P.S. Not really.