Research: Video

Next, I was trying to look for the counter arguments in instant messaging. The only problem I found with instant messaging is it takes all the personal communication out of our society. Good social skills I think is a great thing to have in the future. This is a funny clip from the movie Mr. Deeds and its true that you really don't know who you are messaging with, it could be anyone for all we know.

Research: Newspaper

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2002/10/21/BU142736.DTL&hw=AOL+instant+message&sn=002&sc=974

This article talks about the AOL instant messaging service compared to the MSN instant messager and what I was more interested in this article was some of the new features that AIM had put in their server. Like caller id so when someone calls you, it says their number and gives you an option to ignore it or select from a variety of messsages to play on the machine. AIM is a clear cut favorite with over 25 million subscribers in the US while MSN has less than 8 million.

Research: Magazine Article

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1003269,00.html

Although this is not referring AIM directly, it does talk about instant messaging in general. It says here that people can have "half a dozen simultaneous IM conversations through a cascade of pop-up windows on his computer screen." The article's author even says " "IM is the most convenient way to consult co-workers and solve a problem quickly, I find it indispensable."

Research: Interview

I interviewed a few people about the social networking AIM and all the users had a positive attitude towards it. One of them even admitted that it was because of AIM that he was able to have a girlfriend. Others find very useful when they wants some quick information from politics to sports through the AIM-bots.

Research Questions

What is the best use of social networks?
How do students use social networks in their advantage?
Would school be harder without the use of social networks?
What ways can social networks help students with their work?
Which networks are more useful and productive than others?

Thesis

AOL Instant Messaging in the best instant messaging program in terms of privacy and how easy it is to use.

http://www.pcmag.com/category2/0,2806,4816,00.asp
http://bestuff.com/category/instant-messaging-software
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Instant_messaging
I'm also going to open accounts on the many different instant messaging programs I don't already have to test them out as well.

Assessing Wikipedia Entry

I knew AIM was kind of popular but its posted that more than half of the US uses it for an instant messaging device. I worded my assessment before a little wrong and should have been more clear in my statements. The privacy part is a little worse than I thought at the beginning since anyone can add another as their buddy without the person's approval but that can easily be solved by just blocking everyone except the friends you add personally. Although messages are not totally private and anyone can have access, it is better than myspace or facebook where anyone can read what someone else wrote to you on your page.

Social Network Assessment

I chose AIM out of the other types of social networkings. AIM stands for AOL Instant Messaging and I believe this is the quickest and best way to communicate with your family, friends, and anyone else you decide to put on your buddy list. It is a chatting tool which is very easy to use.
-AIM is used by about everyone, from little kids to adults, unlike other tools like myspace or facebook which are used mostly by teenagers.
-it is used just like twitter as well because everyone can have a message next to their name which tells everyone what they are doing. Many phones have the AIM option on it so it easy to let others know whether you are available to chat or busy doing something else.
-It is very useful to communicate with anyone you want and I believe better than other networks since only the person you send the chat to can see your message. It also has a webcam option for family and friends that are not close to each other.
-there really isn't anything private y0ou can find out through AIM as it is only used for quick messaging to one certain person and AIM doesn't require you to put your email or post all of your pictures on it for everyone else to see.

Assessing Technology Articles

This is not an authoritative source because there isn't much information given about the author and his points may change because of the difference between our times and his. There was no connection between Huxley's "Chemical Persuasion" article and technology. He wrote this in the early 1930s so technology has advanced greatly since then and all his views are about drugs. Nothing about technology was mentioned but there can be a lot of technological advancements because of drugs which include:
-chemicals used in war
-nuclear weapons
-weapons
-household products
-effects of exposure to certain chemicals
-medicine