Instant Messaging

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Instant Messaging

Instant messaging is a tool used by a vast majority of Internet users. This new tools has some advantages and some disadvantages. IM is used a lot of the time in education. It’s used for recruiting and admissions, student-faculty communications, library consultations, group projects, and immediate feedback, and discussions during lectures. Businesses are also finding instant messaging useful, as well as the deaf community. Some of the disadvantages are that teachers don’t feel comfortable using IM, instant messaging might interfere with students work, and viruses can be passed via instant messaging through links. Instant messaging seems to have a more positive side than negative.

Instant messaging has many benefits and that’s why so many people use it today. Instant messaging can happen instantly. One doesn’t have to sit around and wait for a response like with e-mail. Someone stated that, “You can check to see if a pal is online and available, key in a “Wassup?” and you’re chatting away” (Reid, 2004).

Also, IM has a big impact on students. With instant messaging they’re able to, “create, join, leave, and rejoin at will what the Pew Internet group calls “virtual study groups” (Woods, 2002). There are always some communication delays because of dinner interruptions or a favorite television show may be on. A high school girl stated that, “Not only do I research online, but I also use it for chatting with people for school. If I forget an assignment or need assistance on a concept I cannot grasp, the Internet is an easy way for me to get in touch with a peer who might be an aid to me” (2002). If a student has a teacher’s screen name than he or she can get imm...

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