Already an Impact.

I must admit that I haven't been a fan of IM's since the late nineties, but this class has reminded me already how useful they can be when used for a purpose. I think most people use them just to talk and gossip. They have nothing better to do but talk and why pick up a phone when you can type all day.

But when injected with a purpose, IM's can be very useful. For instance a work group or school group can communicate about assignments or a job. It allows for quick interaction with multiple people. And there are no long distance fees for calling and it doesnt use up minutes. I can imagine many useful tasks that IM's can accomplish, but I can easily see the pitfalls for the person that can't stay on task. I could easily spend 30 minutes "chatting" with someone when I should be doing work.

Still, like most technology, it is good and bad. I just think people need to remember that life isn't lived on the computer, it just makes somethings easier.