by Bruce Tyson

Created on: January 30, 2010

Instant messaging has no significant detrimental effect on business or personal relationships. Often, instant messaging is frowned upon by people who feel that communications are becoming cold and impersonal. Instant messaging, however, builds relationships and has become one of several modern methods of communicating.

Instant messaging helps relationships because it is a flexible communications method.  Have you ever phoned someone and you got them at a bad time. Either they were in the middle of a conversation or they were in a place where they couldn’t talk? With instant messaging, you can see from a person’s status indicator if they are available to talk or not. No more calling at awkward moments or wondering if a person is available. When people don’t want to talk, they just change their status to unavailable or busy. They can even specify when they expect to become available again. The flexibility of instant messaging makes it an attractive form of communication.

Instant messaging helps relationships because one person can talk to several people at one time. While talking on the phone to several different people about several different things is nearly impossible, an energetic and attentive person is more than capable of doing so via instant messaging. The different conversations are easily reviewed and can be easily refreshed should some of the conversation be lost. Since the conversation is through a messaging client, no one is going to be offended if you’re doing something else while they are talking to you. Through instant messaging you can talk to more people in a meaningful way than you ever could in person or on the phone.

Instant messaging helps relationships because it allows a record to be created that documents everything that was said. This is very useful in business and in personal relationships. While people in either type of relationship might argue and ask questions like “When did I tell you that?” the question can be answered after a brief review of historical data. Recording every verbal conversation is very, recording instant messaging conversation is very easy. Sure, the record might be hurtful at times, but at least it can be established.

The one place where instant messaging can pose some concern is that it may contribute to deficient “live” social skills. It’s conceivable that some people could become so dependent on instant messaging that they become inept at live conversation. Though potentially valid, that risk is not serious because in our society, verbally speaking to other people is no longer necessary.

Learn more about this author, Bruce Tyson.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.