For many iMessage users, invisible ink offers the illusion of discretion — and a dramatic flourish.
Girl Talk
An iMessage feature offers the illusion of discretion — and a dramatic flourish.
“Can I be a b*tch for a second?”
For a long time, seeing those words pop up onscreen was the best indicator of good gossip to come. Close seconds included “OK, so…” for the more demure among us, or a simple teacup emoji for the chronically online. But recently, a particular iMessage feature has entered the chat.
Invisible ink — the effect that blurs your messages, making them look like a static-y television unless you’re pressing on it as you read — debuted in 2016 alongside other iMessage features like “gentle,” “slam,” and “loud.” But in the intervening years, it’s the only one that has made a true impact on our digital styles of communication enough to become a meme: On Twitter these days, controversial opinions like “I honestly can’t wait for the Eras Tour to end” are accompanied by the tongue-in-cheek caveat “sent with invisible ink.”
Teenagers are using the effect to hide their texts from their parents, and adults are using it to talk sh*t. “I typically use it when I’m sharing celebrity gossip that I’ve learned from a colleague or a drunk publicist with loose lips. I’ve definitely had someone tell me a story about something crazy an actor did on set or a pop star who made an assistant cry at a photo shoot,” says Harrison*, a 29-year-old who works in entertainment. “I don’t consider myself a massive gossip but I have to share the story with a handful of my gal pals, and using invisible ink at least gives the illusion that I’m trying to be discreet.
