Instant Messaging

            Instant messaging is a form of communication in which text-based messages are transmitted from one user to another via the Internet. Instant messaging is client-based and isn’t anonymous, which is what differentiates it from online chatting, which can be anonymous and isn’t necessarily client-based. The origins of instant messaging can be traced back to the mid-1960’s, when it was used as a notification system in crude applications such as printing. These rudimentary systems then evolved to allow communication between users that were logged onto the same machine. With the invention of more sophisticated networks and the development of the Internet, instant messaging obviously evolved as well.

The first instant messaging programs were configured so that users could see the characters their peers were typing in real-time, as opposed to the more traditional instant messaging we know, in which a user types a message and then hits enter before the recipient can view the message. A popular example of this in the 1980’s and early 1990’s was Unix’s command line “talk” program. Modern instant messaging didn’t arrive until the mid-1990’s, when clients such as AOL Instant Messaging and PowWow began to take off. These clients were GUI-based and Internet-based, which meant that users could communicate even if they were continents away. Instant messaging continued to evolve and sooner or later included features such as video messaging, VoIP (voice over internet protocol), and desktop sharing. Today, instant messaging has transitioned from clients such as AOL Instant Messenger and PowWow to social networks such as Facebook, Skype, and Twitter. Another instant messenger service that has become extremely popular due to the popularity of the iPhone is iMessage, which is phone-based instant messaging over WiFi and/or 3G networks.

I believe the development of instant messaging started the social media revolution that we are witnessing today. The whole concept of real-time communication via Internet was unknown to the world until instant messaging was developed, and it took over people’s homes by force. I remember when I first installed AOL Instant Messenger in the 7^th grade and I also remember using it on a daily basis for the next 4 to 5 years, along with the rest of my school. Small talk, relationship troubles, large arguments, and deep philosophical conversations all occurred through instant messaging, for better or for worse, and the whole dynamic of communicating with your friends and family was changed because of it. As new technologies such as video chatting and VoIP were developed, there were newer and better ways of communicating with friends and family. Instant messaging then evolved into numerous social media networks such as Facebook and Twitter, which are obviously huge parts of the World Wide Web and Internet traffic today.  

In terms of the future of instant messaging, I believe the enhancement of voice recognition technologies and the development of technologies that allow users to “think their messages” to someone (though this is a long ways away) will provide a surge to instant messaging. Furthermore, social media networks will continue to evolve, and I believe they’ll always incorporate instant messaging no matter how they progress. Therefore, I do not believe instant messaging is going to die out any time soon.