Commentary

Super Chat or Cross Media Communications?

Super Chat or Cross Media Communications?

Jupiter Media Metrix reports that the total time using instant messaging jumped 110% at work and 48% at home over the same time last year. The recently released report shows that that the total number of minutes spent at work in the US (using the top three brands of instant-messaging applications) jumped:
- from 2.3 billion minutes in September 2000 to 4.9 billion in September 2001.

The number of unique users of instant-messaging applications at work increased 34%:
- from 10.0 million in September 2000 to 13.4 million in September 2001.

The total number of minutes increased at home 48%:
- from 9.2 billion in September 2000 to 13.6 billion in September 2001.

And the number of unique users of instant-messaging applications at home increased 28%:
- from 42.0 million in September 2000 to 53.8 million in September 2001.

Charles Buchwalter, vice president, media research, Jupiter Media Metrix says, "While the adoption rate of instant messaging continues to outpace that of the Internet, the time spent using the applications demonstrates the significant role instant messaging plays online."

With all three major messaging brands growing their reach significantly, the number of instant-messaging users that use more than one service is on the rise. In September 2001, 29% of instant-messaging users at home used at least two competing brands, up from 24% in September 2000. While only 1/3 of AOL users used at least one competing service in September 2001, almost 3/4 of Yahoo! users used two, and about 2/3 of MSN users had a second IM service.

David Card, vice president and senior analyst at Jupiter Research said "…as AOL continues to block competing messaging technologies, users are taking things into their own hands by using multiple services. What everyone's fighting for is a shot at using Buddy Lists and presence management as the hub of future cross-media communications services."

Review all of the stats in the Jupiter Media Metrix Digital Media Report

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