Instant messaging (IM) is viewed as a tool that enables constant connectivity, allowing young people to feel connected with their friends and keeping them from feeling ‘left out’, according to the latest research from the Circuits of Cool youth project, conducted by Microsoft and MTV.
IM is the preferred communication method used by young people to catch up with someone they don’t know well, and is seen as being a light-hearted medium to communicate with friends, both individually and as a group.
Globally, young people on average have 78 IM buddies, with
The IM features that driving popularity are:
§ Free to use
§ Private form of communication
§ Youths feeling they have more control over the conversation
§ Safe method for communication
§ Instant but not too instant – allowing them to express themselves better
§ Forward – youths can be braver on IM than in face to face communication
Many of the 14-24s surveyed said that instant messaging communication enabled them to talk about more intimate subjects than they would have otherwise done. Over half said that they could talk about more things on IM than face-to-face.
Nearly 70% said the first thing they did after turning on their computer was to check IM. The top IM conversations topics for 14-24s were: gossiping (62%), making arrangements (57%), talking about the opposite sex (57%) and flirting (55%), work or school (54%) and TV and music (52%).
