Instant Messaging vs. Email

If the kids are doing it, it's important to the 21st century.

So when I saw kids seemingly to prefer Instant Messaging (IM)- - synchronous OVER email - - asynchronous, I was confused.

Asynchronous appears to be far better for online courses than synchronous. But the kids usually know better. So are they telling us something about synchronous? 

Apparently not. The Pew Internet group did a study, coming to the same conclusions we've known for several years.  I wrote asking them the implications. They did not reply! But the slashdot weblog readers had plenty of analysis. In the comment section, I post the best ones.

Comments

[Our Favorite Slashdot Comment]

News Flash!

Apples better than Oranges.

Details at 11.

[Fifth Slashdot Commentor]

E-mail is still used by 90 percent of online teens. But the survey found greater enthusiasm for instant messaging."

"Three-quarters of teen Internet users use instant messaging, compared with 42 percent of adults."

OK, 90% of teens use email and 75% of teens use IM. Yet teens have a "greater enthusiasm for instant messaging"? Sure, a greater enthusiasm than adults (75% to 42% according to this survey). Is that a surprise to anyone? But they are still more likely to be users of email. So what's the point of this?

[Fourth Slashdot Commentor]

IM is for conversation, email is for documentation.

IM is for communication in real-time, email is for communication any time.

IM is for communication with someone online, email is for communication with someone online or offline.

IM is for temporary messaging, email is for permanent messaging.

IM is for instant messaging, email is for persistent messaging.

As a group, teens have more time to sit and chat than adults, hence the preference for IMing friends. IM is just the electronic equivalent of hanging out at the mall.

[Third Slashdot Commentee]

Much of teens' communication is related to forming and strengthening social networks and finding their places in them. This requires a lot of rapid, short-term interaction. IM is a good match for this.

Adults (in general) have social networks that are well-established and don't require constant work. Their communication needs are more oriented to planning and coordination of longer-term projects, whether business, day-to-day "housekeeping", politics, skill-building, or any of a host of other things that are longer term and more asynchronous. Email is a good match for that.

[Another Slashdot Commentee]

The main reason that instant messaging (IM) is popular among young adults is that it provides the kind of instant gratification that e-mail cannot provide. IM gives you instant interaction with the other party: friend, girl friend, etc. E-mail responses are usually not instantaneous and depend on whether the recipient of the e-mail note has logged onto her computer and actually read the note.

[Slashdot Comment]

I knew it. Kids these days just wont take the time to type up an email. IM is just not as personal as actually having a letter in your InBox. It's just not the same. IM is going to be the downfall of sociaty.(sic)