Ah, the good old pre-internet days. OK, so you might have died of smallpox, but you wouldn’t have had to contend with:
A vague and gnawing pang of anxiety centered around an IM window that has lulled. During this time an individual feels unsure whether they have offended the IM recipient, committed a breach of IM etiquette, or have otherwise spoilt the presentation of themselves carefully crafted thus far thanks to the miracles of the textual medium. The individual must be at least vaguely aware that they are being vaguely paranoid, and must tell themselves things like ‘he probably just stepped away from the keyboard’ or ‘I know she is at work right now so perhaps she has stopped replying because she is busy.’
I must say this is hauntingly familiar. Here are four more ‘oh dear that’s me’ emotions invented by the internet.
(Via kottke.org)