"What You See Is Not What Others Get"

A reminder that although you may believe that you have communicated your message clearly, how it appears to others may not, in reality, be the same as it appears to you.

Related to 'WYSIWYG' ('What You See Is What You Get') which was common in desktop publishing applications of yore. But when the Internet (and, later, dumbphones) arrived, browser and platform differences meant that all too often what you were seeing was most decidedly not what others were seeing.

... and, sadly, it's getting worse...
Fred: "Yeah, well, clearly you're not the sharpest tool in the shed if you couldn't understand what I meant."
Wilma: "You're still using that ancient brick, dearest. I have the latest upgrade. And, though I hate to admit it, your message came through as though it was chiselled into a stone. WYSINWOG, my dear!"
by zutelwortle March 21, 2022
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