Editing 2801: Contact Merge

{{comic
| number    = 2801
| date      = July 12, 2023
| title     = Contact Merge
| image     = contact_merge_2x.png
| imagesize = 353x429px
| noexpand  = true
| titletext = I actually kind of feel like John and Surf King wouldn't like each other, which is a lot to unpack.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by YOUR OTHER FRIEND WHO EDITS EXPLAINXKCD - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

[[Cueball]] is in contact with someone in a some typical text-chat context, who uses the nickname of "Surf King". His phone also knows of a person called John, which seems to be the real name of the same person, although Cueball appears to have been unaware or forgetful of that fact. The humor arises when Cueball mentions this to "Surf King", who is flabbergasted that Cueball is not aware of this fact.

Some algorithm that manages the contact-list has been offering (or trying) to merge the contact details into a single entry, as having the same core details, which intrigues Cueball but without him understanding why. Instead he directs a comment about this to "@Surf King", who apparently did not deign to respond (leaving just a hanging ellipsis, which might have been typed-out ellipses as a common shorthand for being rendered speechless).

Cueball's follow-up comment is clearly prompted by the realisation that his 'two' contacts both share an interest in surfing, perhaps having been in separate group conversations with both John and Surf King personae in the interim, and he decides to revisit the issue. But from Surf King's response it looks like he and Surf King have been chatting (indeed, in this specific chatroom) for several years, making it mildly impressive that Cueball apparently never made the connection between his identities in that time.

The title text implies that Cueball (still unaware of the reality of the situation) has had second thoughts about the compatibility of Surf King/John with himself, having picked up further cues from either or both of subsequent chats with him (outside of this particular channel) that reduce the perceived social compatibility. This could be easily explained by John being far more (or differently) extrovert when interacting via his more sporty pseudonym, or else by having subtly changed attitudes and interests over time while not actually using one or other identity to update others' impressions of him. Either of these can be due to his perhaps having let the Surf King account of his youth go mostly idle, instead interacting primarily by his given name to be taken more seriously in professional contexts. For Cueball, [[1674: Adult|being Cueball]], all the details of this (whatever they might ''actually'' be) probably continue to go completely over his head.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

:[Cueball chatting in DMs]
:Cueball: @Surf King Weird, my phone keeps trying to merge your contact with John's
:Surf King: ...
:Cueball: Hey, you two should meet up-He's into surfing too
:Surf King: Oh my God
:Surf King: Are you serious
:Surf King: You've been in this chat with me for '''four years!'''

:[Caption below the panel:]
:I wonder who holds the record for accidentally doing this the longest.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Phones]]
[[Category:Social interactions]]