Week 3 - New and evolving mediumts, The impact of MSN in instant messaging

As a 26 year old, I grew up having to use the phone line to call my friends. Of which, if someone picks up I'll have to ask for if they're in or I had to relay a message. Then came the mobile phone, SMS and then came internet messaging. 

While many teenagers today use Instagram, Tiktok, Snapchat and Discord, there was a time where everyone used MSN messenger.  Back then, the smart phone was not invented and there wasn't a "always online" option. In other words, friends weren't reachable at all times and we had to use the school library or if you're lucky a home computer to chat with others. 

In that age, Hotmail (not Gmail) was the norm, the internet was spotty and not everyone had a 512kpbs dialup connection. 

To hide from our parents or snooping siblings, just like limited SMS messages abbreviations were used such as "g2g", "brb" and "lol"(which actually meant laughing and not a passive aggressive reaction). The use of emoticons outside of "Egyptian Hieroglyphics" predates memes which allowed users to express themselves in ways never before. 

In those days, status setting actually meant something where you could see what people were listening to or if they were busy as opposed to the attention/validation seeking behavior we see one social media now.

With improvements in technology and the advent of smartphones, we see that instant messaging has evolved into different mediums in forms good and bad from Slack in the corporate world and Discord for organizing online communities.

On a serious note, what we have seen is that instant messaging while useful, accessible and quick requires moderation and community. During the pandemic, workers were burnt out because they had to be "available" all the time and worked more unpaid hours. Moreover, the younger generation had to relearn some social skills in sustaining a conversation or resolving conflict when chatting IRL.

Features like video calls, previously limited to web-based skype can now to activated instantaneously in messaging apps allowing people to work remotely and connect with family members abroad. To build upon the point of online communities, dedicated channels or groups in Discord has now allowed easier access to mental health/support. 

Instant messaging has come a long way from being a novel and innocent phenomenon to evolving into a invisible multi-platform(interoperable) media. For those of us who remember, perhaps reconnecting with others in a light-hearted and genuine manner is a way to remember the legacy of MSN. xoxo




References:

https://thenetstorian.com/2016/03/11/the-im-legacy-of-msn-messenger/

https://www.harvard.co.uk/msn-messenger-tech-trailblazer-not-millennial-memory/

https://www.ukessays.com/essays/information-technology/the-impact-of-instant-messaging-on-society-information-technology-essay.php

https://egyptianstreets.com/2021/09/10/msn-messenger-a-nostalgic-look-back-at-a-staple-of-the-2000s/

https://community.plus.net/t5/Plusnet-Blogs/The-Rise-and-Demise-of-MSN-Messenger/ba-p/1322022




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