In the realm of modern communication, America Online’s little gem known as Instant Messenger has revolutionized the way people, particularly young people, communicate and exchange information. It has expanded the possibilites available in the growing Internet community.
Instant messaging has invaded college campuses in recent years. Any college student could easily say they seldomly use a computer without checking their buddy list.
AOL Instant Messenger (also known as AIM) allows users to communicate with other users across a room, city, or even country.
“[It] definitely [makes it] easier to talk to people,” said Andy Kiker, psychology sophomore. “I have it so I can reply on my cell phone. My friends can get in touch with me easier, especially if it’s important.”
IMing began as a small feature associated with AOL’s subscription Internet service and eventually was made available as a free service. Since then, it has advanced in leaps and bounds. Once used as merely a communication tool, users now can view images from other users and share files via Instant Messenger.
With all of its features and overwhelming popularity in every age group, its effect has been more than just a revolution of communication.
Joshua Gunn, assistant professor of rhetorical studies in the Department of Communication Studies, understands the role of IMing to society.
“IMing contributes to a problem unique to textual communication: like letter writing and chat rooms, IMing is an alternative to interpersonal communication and devalues the importance of speech and speaking,” Gunn said.
Laura Burleigh, Business management senior said she sees IMing as a curse and a blessing.
“You can say things on IM that you can’t say in person. You also can’t tell inflection in people’s voices,” Burleigh said.
Jonathan Johnson, a business management sophomore agrees.
“You don’t have to worry about your image on the internet,” Johnson said.
Gunn said speech has a presence with people and that “IM-ing and text messaging eclipse the body and mute that sense of connection and presence.”
Gunn also has observed an interesting effect associated with IMing.
“The ironic thing about new text technologies is that while they seem to contribute to a sense of bodily alienation, many people feel as if they are more intellectually in tune with others while IM-ing,” Gunn said.
The IM popularity has inspired several competitors, such as Microsoft’s MSN Messenger and the increasingly popular ICQ. It also has expanded to the arena of mobile techonology, as AOL recently has released the AIM program for cell phones. Now, users can access their buddy lists and send and receive instant messages from anywhere via cell phone. This has set the stage for what could quite possibly be the next communication phenomenon, text-messaging.
AIM has taken the world by storm and integrated itself into everyday life. While it appears this method of communication has both positive and negative aspects, this is undoubtedly a cornerstone for a long line of revolutionary communication.
“The ironic answer to any question regarding a new communication technology is that, just when you think you understand what is going on, the technology becomes obsolete or morphs into something different,” Gunn said.
To learn more about AOL Instant Messenger, visit www.aim.com or www.aol.com.