Poll: Teens, adults separated by ‘IM gap’

People our age can’t live without “it”,  the “it” being  instant messenger.  Whether you use AIM, Yahoo,  Microsoft or some other program , it is an essential part of daily computing.  Of course, this  is  basically true  for  people  our age and younger and not our parents.  According to CNN, there is a large “IM” gap between  young and old people.  Here is the link:  http://www.cnn.com/2006/TECH/ptech/12/08/im.poll.ap/index.html 

According to this article , almost half of teens use an instant messenger program, which is more than twice the amount of adults.  Here are some more of the  findings that the poll discovered about adults and young people and their “IMing” habits.

According to the AP-AOL poll:

  • Almost three-fourths of adults who do use instant messages still communicate with e-mail more often. Almost three-fourths of teens send instant messages more than e-mail.
  • More than half of the teens who use instant messages send more than 25 a day, and one in five send more than 100. Three-fourths of adult users send fewer than 25 instant messages a day.
  • Teen users (30 percent) are almost twice as likely as adults (17 percent) to say they can’t imagine life without instant messaging.
  • When keeping up with a friend who is far away, teens are most likely to use instant messaging, while adults turn first to e-mail.
  • About a fifth of teen IM users have used IM to ask for or accept a date. Almost that many, 16 percent, have used it to break up with someone.This is not to say  adults aren’t open to  using an IM program.  There are people who  openly talk about learning to use a program and enjoy IMing their friends in this article.  Personally, I have taught my mother to use AIM and whenever she gets online she talks to my sister and I and really enjoys it. 

    It is never to late to start IMing people regardless of age.  Technology for instant messaging has been available to the general public for about a decade. Time Warner Inc.’s AOL, Yahoo Inc. and Microsoft Corp.’s MSN are the major IM operators. The software is easy to use and easy to download.  It is easier than talking on the phone and a lot cheaper as well.  IM’s can also be useful for business people and those in the workforce because it is easy to communicate with a coworker in another part of the office and get something done quicker than other conventional ways.  Hopefully the IM gap closes, because these programs are not just for teens talking about high school gossip.  They are useful tools and older adults need to realize the value of an instant messenger program.

    • About this entry

    You’re currently reading “Poll: Teens, adults separated by ‘IM gap’,” an entry on Blogging From Oakland

    Published:
    December 10, 2006 / 10:36 pm
    Category:
    Digital Nuggets
    Tags: