Instant Messaging
Blaise Bolland
With current developments of instant messaging people can now
communicate with one another from anywhere in the world. This makes
people able to talk to one another without the use of letters and or
phone connections. Internet users have been drastically increasing
which increases the users of instant messaging. The only downfall to
instant messaging is the vulnerability of the computer using the instant
messaging.
In responding to strangers' offers, people may divulge personal
information or leave their systems vulnerable. When two people
communicate through instant messaging, the messages are relayed as plain
text through an IM service's central servers before they reach the
recipient. The lack of privacy is compounded when IM messages travel
over public wireless networks like those at cafes, airports and hotels.
IM users can transfer files to each other and give others access to
their shared-files folder. The top services - AIM, Yahoo Messenger and
MSN Messenger.
People零 social skills can vastly improve using instant messaging; it
allows people to communicate quick and efficiently, without being there
in person. This allows people to think about what to talk about and
correct ideas they are going to correspond with one another. It removes
awkward silences and allows less social people to become more social.
NY Times. March 25, 2004. Sandeep Junnarkar.
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/03/25/technology/circuits/25mess.html
Amini Khanna
Blaise Bolland <bpsb...@student.cs.uwaterloo.ca> wrote:
This is a very interesting article, however it is important to note that
often Instant Messaging can make people isolated from the world and even
hinder their social skills as face to face interaction is reduced.
Social skills may not be vastly improved.
Zubair Imam
Blaise Bolland <bpsb...@student.cs.uwaterloo.ca> wrote:
Blaise did an excellent job on the summary. I my self using instant
messinging programs to communicate more than any other source of
communicating. It has definetly changed the way the world works and has
also made communicating a lot easier for millions around the world. The
concern expressed in the summary is also shared by myself. The privacy
issue of the topics discussed through these instant messaging programs
is very important and there is very little the common user like me can
do about it, and is sorta a scary thought.
Zubair.
kmho
Blaise Bolland <bpsb...@student.cs.uwaterloo.ca> wrote:
I think one of the main problem with instand message, such as icq, msn,
yahoo messager, is that it greatly decrease the chance of people
interacting with one another. Since, instant messaging is so fast and
easy to use, now a day, people would choose to use instant message
rather than using phone. Thus, the only communication between people
are through words rather than the actual speech.
Eddie Chan
Blaise Bolland <bpsb...@student.cs.uwaterloo.ca> wrote:
I agree with most of what you are discussing but I believe you are
contradicting yourself when you said, "The only downfall to
instant messaging is the vulnerability of the computer using the instant
messaging." Then you go on about OTHER downfalls like privacy, less
social people being more social, internet luring, etc.
I guess another downfall I would say, which contradicts what your
last point states, is that instant messaging doesn't allow body language
and tone of voice to be conveyed to the recipient. In everyday language,
these aspects affect what is being said because someone might interpret
something the wrong way if all they can read is text. As well, it is not
as fast as speech (telephone communication) or video conferencing.
Trevor Derreck
Blaise Bolland <bpsb...@student.cs.uwaterloo.ca> wrote:
Reply: This is a very good article, very concise information and also
very good arguments. It is true that instant messaging has become
rampant over the last little while, and yes, the dangers of personal
information travel over the internet. As information travels over
wavelengths, it is important to know what information you are actually
sending. Things like messenger and yahoo are definitely a revolutionary
device rendering things like the telephone obsolete.
Alicia Page
Blaise Bolland <bpsb...@student.cs.uwaterloo.ca> wrote:
REPLY: i agree with everything in this article. Everyones typing skills
are improving, and communication with friends all over is excellent.
Being a university student living away from home, i love having instant
messaging and being able to talk to family, and friends all over. Phone
bills can get expensive.
ljmahoney
Instant messaging can be beneficial but I don't feel that it helps
ones social abiliy if it anything it takes away from it. Being able to
communicate online is useful for quick conversation or to talk to people
long distance as it lightens the burden of long distance charges. I
feel that talking through a messenger is an impersonal means of
communication. Online messaging takes away the human aspect of
conversation. It is hard to communicate emotion, dialogue can be
interpreted inappropriately and so forth. Instead of calling someone on
the phone a person will have a drawn out conversation with them on the
computer. In most cases, the individual will talk about more things
than they originally intended to. People who are not very sociable can
talk with others through the computer but when it comes to face to face
communication they may not be anymore comfortable than before since they
do not have the security blanket of their computer to act as a buffer.