Tethered or Mobile? Use of Away Messages in Instant Messaging by American College Students

Baron, Naomi S.; Squires, Lauren; Tench, Sara; Thompson, Marshall R

doi:10.1007/1-84628-248-9_20

Cited by 34 publications

(41 citation statements)

References 4 publications

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“…First, students spend many hours working on the computer, often online, and hence frequently have opportunities to IM. Moreover, they can IM while engaged in other activities, such as doing homework or watching TV (Baron et al 2005). Second, IM allows students to move in and out of simultaneous conversations much more easily than other modes of communication (Jacobs 2004;Lewis & Fabos 2005).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

University Students' Local And Distant Social Ties: Using and integrating modes of communication on campus

Quan‐Haase

2007

Information, Communication & Society

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DISTANT SOCIAL TIES Using and integrating modes of communication on campusThe use of the Internet has increased dramatically in recent years, with university students becoming one of the most dominant user groups. This study investigated how the Internet is integrated into university students' communication habits. The authors focused on how online (email and instant messaging) and mobile (cellphones and texting) modes of communication are used in the context of offline modes (FTF and telephone) to support students' local and distant social ties. Using a mixed methods approach that combined survey data from 268 Canadian university students with focus group data, a rich description was obtained of what modes of communication students use, how they integrate them to fulfill communication needs, and the implications of this integration for the maintenance of social ties. It was found that friends were the most important communication partners in students' everyday lives. Regardless of the type of social tie, instant messaging was used the most for communication. Because of their high cost, the cellphone and texting were used less. Increased distance between communication partners reduced communication -local communication was more frequent for both friends and relatives. While instant messaging and email were used less for contact with those faraway, the decrease was not as sharp as with in-person and telephone contact. In particular, instant messaging was used extensively for distant contact with friends -often daily. While online modes were used widely for local communication, it was evident that they also filled communication gaps with those faraway. Because they were inexpensive and readily available on campus, email and instant messaging were highly used by students and they facilitated a close integration of far-flung ties into university students' everyday lives.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

University Students' Local And Distant Social Ties: Using and integrating modes of communication on campus

Quan‐Haase

2007

Information, Communication & Society

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“…First, students are early adopters of ICTs, and tend to use these more frequently than the general population (Jones & Madden 2002). Second, university students' schedules have considerable periods of unstructured time, providing them with greater flexibility to be socially accessible than high-school students and people in the workforce (Baron et al 2005). This flexibility and unstructured time create a greater need to manage and negotiate social accessibility.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

‘I'm There, but I Might Not Want to Talk to You’

Quan‐Haase

Collins

2008

Information, Communication & Society

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TO TALK TO YOU'Synchronous communication technologies facilitate coordination, afford social accessibility, and allow for flexible contact at a distance. The authors investigate the temporal structure of social accessibility, individuals' definitions of public and private time, and how social accessibility and privacy are negotiated. They examine university students' social accessibility in instant messaging with a multi-method study utilizing surveys, focus groups and interviews.Four key characteristics were identified: predictability, downtime, online concurrent IM activities, and multitasking. Private and public time blur seamlessly in IM, with students making themselves available as a function of social relationships and context. Negotiation of social accessibility is complex and often evolves over the development of a relationship. Three strategies are discussed that help students manage their availability in IM. Despite the lack of formal rules in the use of these strategies, participants have shared understandings of these practices, and the meaning they convey to others.

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“…How, for instance, do we define away messages in Instant Messaging that enable their users to be physically mobile in their physical absence from the computer? [see Baron et al's (2005) recent study]. And what are the implications for our research and our analysis, as the data become even messier and less stable?…”

Section: Conclusion: Revisiting the Online/offline Distinctionmentioning

confidence: 95%

“…Take, for example, Baron et al's (2005) recent study of how away messages in instant messaging are used by American college students to help manage their social spheres.…”

Section: Conclusion: Revisiting the Online/offline Distinctionmentioning

confidence: 99%

How Can Researchers Make Sense of the Issues Involved in Collecting and Interpreting Online and Offline Data?

Orgad¹

2009

Internet Inquiry: Conversations About Method

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Tethered or Mobile? Use of Away Messages in Instant Messaging by American College Students

Cited by 34 publications

References 4 publications

University Students' Local And Distant Social Ties: Using and integrating modes of communication on campus

University Students' Local And Distant Social Ties: Using and integrating modes of communication on campus

‘I'm There, but I Might Not Want to Talk to You’

How Can Researchers Make Sense of the Issues Involved in Collecting and Interpreting Online and Offline Data?

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