IM Communication

With just a few taps on your keyboard, you can instantly exchange your thoughts and emotions with just about anyone around the world. LOL, :), BTW, :(, FYI, IDK, and WTF are just a few of the abbreviations that have come to symbolize some of the most common expressions and phrases in the English language today. This lingo of abbreviated characters, primarily used for texting, internet chatting, or on popular web portals like Myspace, Facebook, and Tagged, has become standard vernacular in the cyber world. It’s not just teenagers and tech savvy individuals using this method of communication, it’s also anyone who wishes to effectively communicate and interact in our high-tech world.

I am somewhat unversed in this growing dialect of abbreviations and constantly trying to keep up with the new world of idioms that can now portray our thoughts with a few letters in just a matter of seconds. It’s clear that instant messaging communication is undoubtedly one of the most powerful and widely used mediums of communication in this day and age, and it continues to evolve with a language of its own. It not only saves us time and expensive phone bills, but it also provides a quick yet impersonal way to communicate.

How and where did this form of communication originate? According to tech expert, Marcus Bird, “IM communication was a sort of rapid fire form of e-mail; short bursts of information over networks or large distances. As internet bandwidth increased and personal computers became more affordable, it was an inexpensive way to communicate”. He also added that instant message communication represents, “a new mode of communication in the sense that it is silent communication. Esoteric jargon and millions of devices that are able to IM, show its seamless integration into societies across all cultures.”

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