Third Annual AOL Instant Messaging Trends Survey Shows IM Has Taken Over the Desktop
11 November 2005 - 1:03AM
PR Newswire (US)
Parents Get Into the Act While Users Dream of IM TV and Enjoy VoIP
Services; One-Third Send Mobile Messages from Cell Phones DULLES,
Va., Nov. 10 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Instant messaging (IM) is up
19 percent year over year and is deeply entrenched in the U.S. with
many Americans sending as many -- if not more -- IMs than they do
emails. Meanwhile, at-work and mobile messaging have gone
mainstream, according to the third annual Instant Messaging Trends
Survey from AOL. Today, multiple screen names, parental IM rules
for teens and rampant "away messaging" are standard across all
regions, genders and ages. Instant messaging has taken over as the
communications vehicle of choice with 25 percent of users saying
they would like to see entertainment content within IM and 20
percent saying they would like to make voice calls to landlines and
cell phones directly from their IM service. Top-line survey
findings include: Email is Old School: Thirty-eight percent say
they send as many or more IMs than emails, and the younger users
are, the more likely they are to favor IM. Two-thirds (66 percent)
of teens and young adults (ages 13-21) say they send more IMs than
emails, up from 49 percent last year. Meet the Parents: More than
half (53 percent) of teens (ages 13-17) surveyed say their parents
now issue guidelines and rules about instant messaging. Teen boys
(55 percent) are more likely to have parental IM rules than are
teen girls (50 percent), and fully 65 percent of teens who have
rules say they follow them. Hit the Road: One in three (33 percent)
IM users send mobile IMs or text messages from their cell phones at
least once a week. This is a dramatic increase over 2004, when just
19 percent said they do so, and 2003 when the figure was 10
percent. Another Day, Another "Away Message": Half (47 percent) of
those ages 13-21 change their away messages every day, to let
others know where they are (71 percent), to list a cell phone
number or alternate way to be reached (47 percent) or to post a
favorite lyric or quote (47 percent). Seven percent have even
posted a call to action, like "Please donate to the Red Cross to
help hurricane victims." IM Too Busy: At-work IM users now send IMs
to communicate with colleagues (58 percent), to get answers and
make business decisions (49 percent) and even to interact with
clients or customers (28 percent). Twelve percent have used IM at
work to avoid a difficult in-person conversation. I Want IM TV!:
One in four (26 percent) IM users say that live streaming
television is the one feature they wish was available on their IM
service. Music on demand came in second (25 percent) and video on
demand was third (21 percent). The Sound of Your Voice: Meanwhile,
20 percent say they currently enjoy, or would like to try, making
live voice calls to other computers, landlines and cell phones
directly from their IM service. Another 12 percent say they would
be interested in an IM-based VoIP service that could replace their
primary household phone line. "Instant messaging is a part of
everyday life, with more and more people using their IM service as
a starting point for all communications, from sending mobile
messages to friends on cell phones to placing VoIP-based phone
calls," said Chamath Palihapitiya, vice president and general
manager, AIM and ICQ, America Online, Inc. "Usage is spiking, and
not just among teens. Parents, grandparents and professionals are
all using instant messaging to stay in touch and enhance their
day-to-day communications." Nationwide and around the world,
instant messaging use is growing, with nearly 12 billion[1] instant
messages being sent every day worldwide, according to IDC. ComScore
Media Metrix[2] reports that there are more than 300 million people
across the globe -- and more than 80 million Americans -- who
regularly use instant messaging as a quick and convenient
communications tool. The AOL(R) Instant Messaging Trends survey of
more than 4,000 respondents ages 13 and over was conducted in
partnership with Opinion Research Corporation from September 16-26,
2005. Top 10 Cities and AOL's Third Annual IM Awards This year's
survey includes a listing of America's top ten cities for IM usage
and a number of "awards" for unique instant messaging habits of IM
users in various cities. According to the survey, the top ten
markets for instant messaging are: 1. Miami, FL; 2. New York, NY;
3. Boston, MA; 4. Chicago, IL; 5. Atlanta, GA; 6. Dallas/Ft. Worth,
TX; 7. Detroit, MI; 8. San Francisco, CA; 9. Sacramento, CA; 10.
Tampa, FL. The AOL IM Awards include: The Fastest Fingers Award:
New Yorkers held onto this award for the second straight year,
averaging 20 IMs sent per day per person. Last year, New York IMers
averaged 17 per day. The Job Jumper Award: In Seattle, IM users are
most likely to send instant messages from work to look for new jobs
(24 percent). The Model Student Award: IM using teens in Orlando
are most likely to have rules about being online and instant
messaging, and are also most likely to follow them (90 percent). To
learn more about the top 10 IM cities and to see the Awards they
have won this year from AOL, click here:
http://www.aim.com/survey?source=PR1 Teens and Instant Messaging
Ninety percent of Internet-savvy teens and young adults say they
send instant messages, and 80 percent of those ages 22-34 say the
same. Among those with IM rules, 43 percent say they can send
instant messages only when their homework is done. Meanwhile, 24
percent can go online for a set amount of time each day or can only
send IMs to a group of people known by their parents. Twenty-three
percent can IM only at certain hours of the day. In addition, 30
percent of teens consider instant messaging the way they most often
keep in touch with friends on a day-to-day basis, surpassing the
cell phone, which was selected by 27 percent of teens. Seventeen
percent of teens prefer to catch up in person. To learn more about
teens and instant messaging, click here:
http://www.aim.com/survey?source=PR2 IM in the Workplace According
to IDC, more than 28 million business users worldwide use instant
messaging to send nearly 1 billion messages each day at work.[3]
Meanwhile, the AOL Instant Messaging Trends survey revealed that
more than three in four at-work IM users (77 percent) say that
instant messaging has had a positive impact on their work lives. In
addition, one in four (25 percent) of at-work IMers say that
instant messaging enables them to check in on their children during
the workday, providing greater peace of mind. In addition, for
working moms and dads, the impact of instant messaging is higher
than the national average. In fact, 83 percent say that their
day-to- day business lives have benefited from instant messaging.
To learn more about instant messaging at work, click here:
http://www.aim.com/survey?source=PR3 Mobile Messaging One in three
(33 percent) IM users say they also send SMS messages or mobile
instant messages at least once a week from their cell phone. Nearly
half (47 percent) of IM users aged 13-21 engage in text messaging
and mobile instant messaging, while 42 percent do the same.
Meanwhile, one-quarter (24 percent) of those aged 35-54 say they
send messages from their cell phones. To learn more about mobile
messaging, click here: http://www.aim.com/survey?source=PR4 IM on a
Global Scale The interest in making PC-to-phone calls from the IM
service is high around the globe, with Brazil leading the way. In
fact, 60 percent of Brazilian IM users want to make PC-to-phone
VoIP calls. Meanwhile, 48 percent of IM users in Hong Kong and 45
percent in Germany want to do the same. To learn more global IM
trends, click here: http://www.aim.com/survey?source=PR5 It's Who
You Know: More than 47 percent of those surveyed say they use more
than one IM application. However, AOL remains the leader, with 65
percent of users selecting AOL's instant messaging services,
including the AOL(R) Buddy List(R) feature, the free AIM(R) service
(http://www.aim.com/) and the global ICQ(R) instant messaging
service (http://www.icq.com/). Survey Methodology: Survey results
are based on 4,032 respondents -- Internet users aged 13 years and
older -- in the top 20 markets around the country. The survey was
conducted September 16-26, 2005 by Opinion Research Corporation on
behalf of America Online. The survey rankings are a compilation of
several key factors, including the current percentage of instant
message users; the number of people on their contact list; the
number of instant messages sent per day; the average number of
instant messaging conversations at one time; the number who
customize their IM application; the number who have more than one
screen name; the number who change their away messages; and the
percentage who send more instant messages than emails. About
America Online, Inc. America Online, Inc. is a wholly owned
subsidiary of Time Warner Inc. Based in Dulles, Virginia, America
Online is the world's leader in interactive services, Web brands,
Internet technologies and e-commerce services. [1] IDC Worldwide
Enterprise Instant Messaging Applications 2005-2009 Forecast and
2004 Vendor Shares: Clearing the Decks for Substantial Growth [2]
comScore Media Metrix, August 2005 [3] IDC Worldwide Enterprise
Instant Messaging Applications 2005-2009 Forecast and 2004 Vendor
Shares: Clearing the Decks for Substantial Growth DATASOURCE:
America Online, Inc. CONTACT: Erin Gifford of America Online, Inc.,
+1-703-265-7285, Web site: http://www.aol.com/ http://www.icq.com/
http://www.aim.com/survey?source=PR1
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