Many adults and teens use instant messenger (IM) services like AIM and MSN to take care of business and talk to friends. Anyone that has used IM programs before will understand the relative anonymity makes it easier to say things you might not say face-to-face. The Associated Press took a poll of adult and teen IM users to get an idea of what they used IM software to do and how many IM’s they sent each day. Four in ten teens that use IM services say they use it to say things they would be afraid to say in person.
For instance, the poll shows that 22 percent of IM users surveyed have used IM to ask people out on a date or to accept a date when asked out. 13 percent of users polled also admit to using IMs to break up with boyfriends or girlfriends.
One of the polled teens, 17-year old Cassie Holbert said, "If they freak out or something, you don't see it, and if I freak out, they don't have to see it."
Another IM user polled, Lewis Grove, a 19-year old college student, says he has used IMs for breaking up and asking new dates out.
Grove told the AP, “Fear of rejection — if you're face-to-face, you can't close out the window and disappear if you've been rejected.” The poll shows that nearly 50 percent of girls and one third of boys have used instant messenging to say something they wouldn’t say in person.
Adults report using IMs from work: the poll shows eight in ten adults use instant messenging at work, yet this poll is highly subjective per industry. For instance technology workers and those in marketing would likely tend to use IM more than others.
Teens also report multitasking much more frequently than adults while sending messages. The poll shows six in ten teens claim to do homework while messaging.
The poll shows that nearly 50 percent of teens use IM while only one in five adults use IM services. The poll was based on a survey of 410 teens and 836 adults and was conducted on October 25 to November 5 by Knowledge Networks for AP.
With the rise of Unified Communications and other protocols like Skype, instant messenging might reach new corporate clients and other demographics not likely to pick up more traditional IM clients. Even without expanding its userbase, instant messenging is already so much engrained in online culture that polls like these carry increasing social weight.