Instant messaging (or IM) lets the user see whether a chosen person is on-line at the same time and, if so, they can exchange messages with them. The message exchange is immediate, unlike e-mail.
The increase, from 2.3 billion minutes in September 2000 to 4.9 billion in September 2001, is accompanied by a 34% increase in the total number of unique users of instant-messaging applications at work, from 10 million in September 2000 to 13.4 million in September 2001.
“While the adoption rate of instant-messaging continues to outpace that of the internet, the time spent using the applications demonstrates even more profoundly the significant role instant-messaging plays on-line,” said Charles Buchwalter of Jupiter. “We first noticed the explosive popularity of messaging in the home environment, but workplace usage is following a similar trajectory.”
Jupiter also reports that AOL remains the leading brand at home and work, but MSN and Yahoo! are aggressively growing their reach and total usage minutes. David Card of Jupiter commented:
"Instant messaging demonstrates the power of a network effect, where the value of the network grows as its membership increases. But as AOL continues to block competing messaging technologies, users are taking things into their own hands by using multiple services."