instant messenger

[Jillian B.]

Hmm... interesting question.

I will agree that the English language has been butchered by some, er, most. However, I really think there are some pros to instant messaging. For me personally, I am entirely way more sociable than I think I ever was capable of. Instant messaging allows you to say something, sometimes even experiment with saying something, without having to worry about your facial expressions, body language, tone of voice, etc. I guess you could say, if you are someone who was terribly shy, and petrified of voicing an opinion or asking a question, instant messaging has been a wonderful thing. In addition, the fact that I can speak to every person in a group of six in a project at once in a chat room makes things very easy.

Another pro is the fact that I can type at nearly 70 - 120 wpm, depending on the situation, and yes, that is in non-abbreviated, grammatically correct English. That speed has certainly helped my schoolwork.

On the con side, I don't think we people specifically are suffering too much from IM. We were little kids without IM, and if you are like me, may not have gotten IM until junior high school. So, I'm proficient at spelling. I can speak in nearly proper english. However, people like my little brother, who on average reads one chapter book a month, watches 7 to 10 hours of television a day, and feels more comfortable on IM than in person, he will suffer.

You know someone is to dependent on IM, when instead of laughing, they say LOL. Sadly, I hear this all the time. I'm sure others do too.

So is IM good or bad? Depends on the situation. There is a balance.

~ Jill