If you have to name the single most annoying this about online chat, what would it be? I’d say it’s waiting for the other person to reply; the three dots that that indicate the other person is typing, and typing, and typing before they reply with a curt “k.” The struggle is real. You’d do that if you hate the person on the other side, and want to make them cringe in anticipation. Well, now there’s an app for that. It’s called Godotify.
Godotify
How it works
- Download the Godotify app and let it run in the background.
- Open up Facebook Messenger and start a conversation with a friend. Tip: Make it sound serious so that their curiosity is piqued.
- Once they reply, Godotify will automatically make it look like you’re typing away. Until, at long last, your friend gives up.
The cheeky app also gives you an update as to how long a friend waited for your reply before giving up.
Brainchild of stupid
Hosted by the Interactive Telecommunications Program of NYU, the “Stupid Shit No One Needs and Terrible Ideas Hackathon,” (commonly known as Stupid Hackathon) is an actual event. It’s “where participants conceptualize and create projects that have no value whatsoever.” Iain Nash and Anastasis Germanidis took three hours in the hackathon to develop Godotify.
When asked about the idea behind the app,
“Hopefully it can get people to think about the ways in which small design choices in our communication apps, like the typing indicator or the read receipt, subtly alter the way we relate to one another.”
Said Anastasis Germanidis in an email.
Well said, Anastasis. We’re all now so much into technology that we let small things like a chat message affect our judgement.
