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The Battalion
Page 3 • Monday, March 17, 2003
Typins the day away
Students battle addictions to instant messaging
By Kristin McNulty
THE BATTALION
Greg Smith, a junior agriculture major, said
he was just an ordinary college student with
good grades and a good relationship with his
girlfriend. That is, until two words sparked his
interest: instant messaging.
“I spent 10 to 15 hours a day on IM chatting
with buddies, and I usually put off all of my
reading and homework,” he said.
Smith said he often communicated with the
opposite sex, which his girlfriend found hard
to swallow. He said his girlfriend could not
handle being second to IM, and she left him.
While this ended his IM addiction, his girl
friend did not return.
Instant messaging is the latest trend in com
municating with long distance friends, family
or just with someone down the hall.
According to a recent survey conducted by
four University of Dayton students, 85 percent
of 100 people surveyed use IM multiple times
a day, while just 3 percent use it a
few times a week.
Of these users, 60 percent
said their conversa
tions last an
average of 10 minutes. While IM users range
in age, 67 percent were ages 18 to 23.
Melissa Muegge, a sophomore agricultural
journalism major, has battled IM in the past.
“I thought I could use it and still be produc
tive, but it just didn’t work,” she said.
Muegge said the time she spent communi
cating with her buddies was valuable time
taken away from reading and completing her
homework. She said that because of her addic
tion to IM, she had to delete it from her com
puter completely.
Kenny Gotten, a junior agricultural develop
ment major, also found IM so addictive that his
school-related priorities shifted.
“I could never get anything done because IM
was so addicting, but fortunately my grades
never suffered as a result of IM,” he said.
Lindsay Buchholzer, a 20-year-old junior at
the University of Dayton who helped conduct
the study, said IM gives users the ability to
hold numerous conversations at one time, but
miscommunication tends to be a problem.
“What someone types versus what
they intended to say can be
related to the same type
of miscommunication
that we see in other
ways of communicating,”
Buchholzer said.
She said that if a person does
not keep eye contact throughout a
conversation, it is considered rude.
Buchholzer said she believes the same can
be said for someone not responding immedi
ately to an IM conversation. She also thinks
there is a lack of understanding about the lan
guage of IM.
“Just like in many cultures, IM has created
its own values, rituals and cultural systems
through a language that is non-existent in any
other culture,” she said.
Buchholzer said it is difficult for any person
who is not familiar with the language to
become part of the IM culture.
“The abbreviations such as, ‘LOL’
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The Student Counseling Service is a Department in the Division of Student Affairs
(Laughing Out Loud) and ‘BRB’ (Be Right
Back) to someone who has never used IM
before, is almost the same as saying, ‘Guten
Tag’ or ‘Wie geht’s’ to someone who has never
heard German,” Buchholzer said.
IM also creates a barrier in communication,
language and understanding between cultures
and generations, she said.
Buchholzer’s survey revealed why users
choose IM over other forms of communication,
such as the telephone. Three-fourths said IM was
faster, 66 percent said they choose IM because
they can talk to multiple people at the same time,
and 55 percent said the programs are cheap and
allow users to avoid long distance charges.
“IM is virtually a free form of communicat
ing with other users around the world at any
time and literally within an instant,” she said.
Buchholzer said IM has the potential to
become the leading method of communi
cation in a business organization that
prides itself on getting as much done
in as little time as possible.
“IM is a benefit to those who
enjoy meeting others without initial
face-to-face contact, or to those who
value time to respond in a conver
sation,” she said.
Lauren Ehlinger, a sophomore
business major, said she benefits
from communicating with her rel
atives through IM.
“I use it to talk to my family
who lives a few hours away, and
it is cheaper than long-distance
charges on my cell phone and
house phone,” she said.
Yet for those who cannot find
a stable balance between IM
and other responsibilities.
Smith — who no longer
spends hours on his computer
each day — offers one piece
of advice.
“Get out, and get a life,”
he said.
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