Instant messaging (IM), a communication tool that allows people to carry on text conversations in real time, has affected communication in a big way. It is similar to e-mail, yet is faster and more convenient. With IM, you don't have to sit and wait for a text to come back or for your e-mail program to check for messages; you can receive a reply, well, instantly. In many systems, you get a notice making you aware that the person you're chatting with is typing a reply. Oh, the anticipation…

To send an instant message, you type in a line of text that immediately appears on the receiving person's monitor. The recipient can answer it immediately as well. One of the features of instant messaging is that users can chat with a number of people simultaneously through a series of open windows on their computer screens. And most systems, such as those on social networking or in shared systems in offices, let you know who else is online so you can know whether you can IM with the person or whether to expect an instant reply.

Widespread use of IM certainly has changed communication expectations, and worked its way into mobile communication, such as smartphones. The ability to communicate with many people instantly through social networking and IM programs such as Messenger for BlackBerries that broadcast messages may have important social implications. For example, summer 2011 riots in London were partly blamed on young people's rapid spreading of messages through IM broadcasts [source: Kirk]. In the same summer, the Flash Mob robbery of a 7-11 store in Germantown, Md., created a national sensation because the youth clearly had communicated just before the robbery and orchestrated the event using some sort of broadcasting IM or texting software. 

Instant messaging has positives, as well, saving time at offices by helping workers get immediate answers to their questions or helping support customer service efforts. Like any technology and communication tool, it should be used appropriately.