IM is such a fascinating paradox. On the one hand, it is more personal that just email. I mean it is on par with a telephone call. You are talking to a person in real time, there a little delay that is only dependant on the typing speed of the person you are talking too. In fact, it is better, since you can multitask and have multiple conversations. I will never forget seeing my brother on his computer with 12 AIM screens up and watching him tab between all of them have various levels of conversations with his friends about a multitude of topics.
And yet, the IM cannot break into the realm of intimacy that you get from a phone call, a hand written letter, or in person. There is that barrier that is always there, that barrier of….impersonality? Even with it’s evolved language of abbreviations and l33t talk, it cannot convey the
subtle nuisances of the spoken word; you can’t back the words with various shades of emotions. It is this that I hate most about the IM. While it has helped me keep in touch with many of my friends, I would rather have the 1.5 long distance phone calls, the yelling and laughing over some beers at a bar, or a
contemplative chat at a cafe over a cup of coffee.
[Listening to: Please Forgive Me – David Gray – White Ladder (05:36)]
