What is up green team?! First of all, I just wanted to say that I am having so much fun learning about each of you, and you have all kicked some serious butt in the posts I have read so far.
And now for a little about me. My name is Diane Pflug and I am a senior (this makes me feel old) majoring in biology. I am from Queens, NY and people often ask me to repeat the words "coffee" and "water" so that they can call me out on my accent. I spent my summer working with traumatic brain and spinal cord injured patients at a rehabilitation hospital close enough to home so that I could still enjoy the wonders and culture of NYC. I am also a huge fan of dunkin donuts, the beach, and spongebob (I even named my cat Patrick after Spongebob's best friend).
I have always been curious about the concept of the away message. Instant messaging is probably the 9th wonder of the universe (Facebook is 8th, in case you were wondering.) You can have a "synchronous" conversation with anyone from anywhere in the world and it's free (minus what you pay for your internet service). IMing even has its own lingo that has impacted other forms of communication- I know you all use an lol in a text or facebook message at least once in awhile. I can even remember a couple of times where I have slipped an lol into a "real life" conversation after I've been chatting online for way too long and I am still in im mode. Believe me, it sounds really cool.
There are so many perks (and pitfalls) in instant messaging. But the concept that intrigues me most is the idea of an away message. I can't remember if away messages have existed as long as instant messaging (does anyone know?) but I conclude that the away message evolved as a way to leave yourself online and connected while you are away from the computer so that other users can leave you messages, hence, the away message. I know, I'm brilliant.
But the away message has evolved into something more than just "I can't be here right now so leave me a message." It has become a way to let the entire online iming community know exactly what the heck you are up to. I know when my friends are showering, eating dinner, and doing laundry. Geez, I even know when my not so good friends are showering, eating dinner, and doing laundry. Some even include an entire itinerary for the day, such as "class, gym, class, work, dinner at CTP, library, maybe movie after?" Sometimes you can even find where the party's at by scanning your buddy list.
Now, I realize not all away messages are about what people are doing, and most are pretty entertaining to read. Personally, I usually do not disclose my whereabouts or what I've been up to. I'd rather use some awesome line written by Bruce Springsteen. But the fact of the matter is, I still put up away messages and choose to stay connected more of the time than not.
So my question is this: what drives people to be this connected all the time? What is it about human nature that makes people so willing to reveal things, whether they are the details of their everyday lives or a favorite movie quote with a group of mostly random people? Even more so, why do people take the time to read through everyone else's away messages? Are humans really THAT curious?
Monday, August 27, 2007
The Away Message
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3 comments:
Hey Diane! (How do you pronounce your last name?)
I have often wondered this, too. I'm one of those people who is always on AIM, but never has an away message up. As you can imagine, my friends are always frustrated knowing whether or not I'm at the computer or if I'm off doing something else. It's not that I don't mind others knowing what I'm up to--I'm usually just too lazy or inconsiderate to keep them updated (although I do get pissed when they don't leave an away message for ME!).
What I find particularly interesting is how drastically we differ from our parents in this respect. I can't count the number of 40+ adults that I run into who refuse to even use a cell phone, let alone keep an updated internet bulletin on their daily activities. I communicate with my mom solely through voicemails, since her phone is almost always turned off. At the very least, I think it has something to do with our learned affinity and comfort with new technologies.
You bring up some really interesting points Diane. I always find myself checking my friends’ away messages when I should be reading or I’ll be late meeting someone because I was trying to pick the right song lyric for the away message. One reason I think people put up an away message is simply because it’s an option that they have. It allows us to still feel connected to the world outside of Cornell while we’re at our classes for the day, and it gives us something to look forward to when we get back to our computer in addition to some new Facebook wall posts.
Another thing about away messages that I think is really intriguing is the ability to have an away message but still be at your computer and instant message any friends that you want. It’s really confusing when you start to think about it; you’re saying you’re not available to chat, but there are a lucky few buddies that you’ll talk with while you have an away message up. Usually at night I’ll have an away message up saying that I’m reading, and my girlfriend will IM me and I’ll start talking, and she’ll have the same away message up. So it seems that away messages both allow us to remain connected to a larger number of people, but they also give us a chance to escape.
I agree with what Michael said. Away messages give you the option of screening who you talk to online. You don't have to worry about being IMed by someone you don't want to talk to at the moment, but you can still choose to talk to whoever you want. Basically, away messages are a source of power.
Leaving up an away message when you are actually not there is a completely different situation.
As someone who is continuously guilty of away message stalking, I read a lot of away messages that go along the lines of "class, run, work." Sometimes I get annoyed by messages like that because they don't really give me any more information than that person not being online at all--they aren't available. But then I will go and post the same thing. Why is that? I think it's because away messages have very little to do with actually telling people anything, but more to do with wanting some attention or a sense of comfort. IF an away message was really about showing you weren't available to chat, then why don't people just sign off? It's nice to come home to messages from friends, even if they are something as simple as hi because it shows that they were thinking of you.
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