Frequency of Usage and Feelings of Connectedness in Instant Messaging by Age, Sex, and Civil Status

A questionnaire was administered to determine (1) the frequency with which participants use various IM features, and (2) whether and to whom they feel more connected as a result of IM usage. Younger participants IMed more frequently than older ones, and males and younger participants were the more frequent users of the more esoteric IM activities, particularly video sharing and video chatting. Singles 25-34 were most likely to report feeling increased connections overall to people via IM. The youngest and the single ones were much more likely to feel a greater connectedness with friends than with family. In the later 20s, that focus on friends shifts to family and coworkers, resulting in relatively equivalent percentages reporting greater connectedness with each of the three categories. The suggestion is that younger, single people are using IM to fulfill a need for social interaction that would be otherwise difficult to meet.