When you send a message or photo with iMessage’s Invisible Ink feature, the words and images are obscured, only to be revealed with the swipe of a finger. With an interactive element added, this feature adds an allure of secrecy, making it difficult but not entirely impossible to take a screen shot. Using this feature adds an entertainment element to a text message, which can break up the monotony that is all too familiar with texting.
Invisible ink was first rolled out in 2016 with other iMessage Bubble and Screen effects, such as gentle and slam. But unlike these other effects, Invisible Ink has exploded in popularity and found usage beyond its traditional iMessage utility. It’s become a part of our current digital vernacular, influencing the way we interpret and share different ideas.
In today’s era, Gen Z’s often have about 96 unread text messages and Millennials with around 51, on their phones. Overall, Americans spend an average of 4.8 hours on their screens daily. This speaks to our overwhelming texting fatigue. In the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, group chat use rose out of necessity, but the feature itself is now being used with more dynamic features, such as emoji use, voice notes, and of course Invisible Ink.
The use of an Invisible Ink converstation can be for many reasons. For relationships, it can create a sense of intimacy and a code of conduct between conversing partners; as a break from work or a way to gossip privately in a group setting; or a way to add suspense when sending a juicy secret. 23 year old technology risk consultant Emma Hashemi uses it to create suspense and send silly stuff while avoiding any embarrassing aftermath. Similarly, when fans of Taylor Swift heard news of her breakup with Joe Alwyn, they kept a level of respect by sending devastating edits and tweets with Invisible Ink. Additionally, there is 25 year old student, Max Porto, who describes a dopamine rush when swiping away the invisible ink.
So now, Invisible Ink has become a tool for gossips everywhere. Want to talk about something you don’t want the person to know? It’s a method of censoring names and phrases for dramatic effect, and an interesting way to both have strong conversation with each other, and keep each other’s secrets.
At the end of the day, Invisible Ink serves to make text communication much more creative, dynamic and fun – even if it has to cross the line of keeping secrets. Paired with other features, such as emoji and voice notes, it helps us keep conversations interesting. For this reason, it is essential to understand the usage of Invisible Ink and combined with other forms of communication to give your text conversations an edge.
