Instant messaging (or IM) lets the user see whether a chosen
person is on-line at the same time and, if so, they can exchange
messages with them. The message exchange is immediate, unlike
e-mail.
The increase, from 2.3 billion minutes in September 2000 to 4.9
billion in September 2001, is accompanied by a 34% increase in the
total number of unique users of instant-messaging applications at
work, from 10 million in September 2000 to 13.4 million in
September 2001.
“While the adoption rate of instant-messaging continues to
outpace that of the internet, the time spent using the applications
demonstrates even more profoundly the significant role
instant-messaging plays on-line,” said Charles Buchwalter of
Jupiter. “We first noticed the explosive popularity of messaging in
the home environment, but workplace usage is following a similar
trajectory.”
Jupiter also reports that AOL remains the leading brand at home
and work, but MSN and Yahoo! are aggressively growing their reach
and total usage minutes. David Card of Jupiter commented:
"Instant messaging demonstrates the power of
a network effect, where the value of the network grows as its
membership increases. But as AOL continues to block competing
messaging technologies, users are taking things into their own
hands by using multiple services."
