What ever happened to IM?

 

I like staying in touch with friends but I've never been a phone person. That's just NOT ME. So when instant messaging gained popularity it was perfect for me. You can now THINK before you speak...and edit and spell check and add emphasis on certain words through a wide array of fonts and really express your feelings accurately via emoticons.

When I started out I could barely type but enter ICQ (remember that?) and I learned to type like the wind without even looking at the keyboard. When I entered the workforce, multitasking became so important as I juggled conference calls and spreadsheets all the while hiding my chat window as I happily exchanged funny pictures with my friends and flirted with boys on MSN. I was so hooked on instant messaging. I could be at work and still be fully engaged with my peeps. So whatever happened to IM?

With social media on the rise, sites like Twitter and Facebook immediately took over. Facebook even has it's own IM client. For me the ending came when I switched jobs and downloading MSN was blocked at my new workplace, instead opting for an internal (for work only) IM client. Where's the fun in that? So the way I communicated with my friends changed forever. Thank God for BBM!

The real ending of Instant Messaging from your computer ended when texting and then BBM became the communication of choice and social media became so easily accessible via your mobile. Maybe there are still some people out there using MSN but I sure don't know any. Gone are the days when you have to politely end your convo or close the chat window or update your status to 'BRB' or 'away from the computer' because on a mobile device the conversation really never has to end. 

I think I downloaded the mobile version of MSN but the whole download and having to sign in was too much trouble, along with delayed and unsent messages. It just goes to show how quickly the customer can lose interest and move on. With the latest updates to BBM (emoticons, animated avatars, colored chat windows) some would argue that it's essentially turning into MSN. Are our mobile messaging dreams really coming true? What do you think?