What do the letters
"brb" or "pos" mean to you? If you know
that the first is short for "be right back" and
the second translates to "parent over shoulder,"
then you might be familiar with the lingo commonly used
in the world of Instant Messaging. "IMing" is
the fastest growing form of communication and it is wildly
popular with teens. Seventy-three percent of them use it
regularly.
For those who don't know what I'm talking about, Instant
Messaging is an Internet-based group conversation. Users
organize a groups of friends into "buddy lists,"
with everyone choosing a unique screen name. Whenever you
log on, you can instantly see who else from your group is
on line at that time. You simply send a message and instantly
join in the conversation. It's really a private chat room
for a group of friends. Although two-way conversations are
possible, usually everyone in the group joins in.
Estimates place the number of daily instant messages bouncing
through cyberspace at over 1 billion a day now, increasing
to 7 billion a day by the end of 2003. Although adults IM
as well, IMing is particularly popular with teens. They
use it to chat, gossip, make plans, get help on homework,
tell jokes, complain, make dates, and break up.
It's no surprise that teens would gravitate to Instant
Messaging. Staying in touch with friends is important to
adolescents and IMing is just the latest way to do that.
There are definite advantages, like staying in touch with
far away friends without expensive phone bills.
Are there any worries? Oh sure. Some IM language can get
pretty crude. IMing has fewer social constraints, so kids
can and do say things they would never say in a face-to-face
conversation or even on the phone. Some parents have been
shocked by the sexually explicit nature of some of the IM
conversations. It's a good idea to be clear with kids about
family rules regarding language and Internet manners.
The worries shouldn't deter parents from letting interested
kids have IM conversations with their friends, however.
As with all electronic media, rules about time limits and
appropriate behavior are important. After that, it's a matter
of communication and reasonable supervision.
Our
media culture is changing how kids learn.
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