Blog #6 EOTO Tech Timeline

 Instant Messaging

Murray Turoff

 Murray Turoff created Instant Messaging as a part of the Emergency   Management Information Systems and Reference Index in 1971. Instant   Messaging is used to connect people all over the world and to easily help teams   in the business world connect quickly and efficiently. 

 It's original purpose was to help the government in different emergencies. It was   first used during Nixon's administration to help facilitate communication between government officials to assist the anti-inflation wage and price control efforts. 

EMISARI users accessed the system through typewriter terminals that were linked to a central computer. It continued to be used by the government to manage emergency systems until 1986. The original chat function was called Party Line, it was used to replace telephone conferences. 

Party Line

in the 1970's, the first platform was created and it was called "Talk," designed to work within the UNIX operating system. This was the most alike our current platforms that we use now. It required users to be logged into the program and sending a message was as easy as it is now. You could send a message and it would pop up in the other person's inbox. "Talk" partnered with another company called "Finger," which allowed you to see who was active on the platform. 

IM became more popular in the early 2000's when they were used on the Internet. In 2002, Apple's iChat made it's debut during the rollout of OS X Jaguar. Beginning in 2011, Apple began using a centralized service, iMessage, to allow users to communicate. Since 2011, many different platforms came about such as Skype, Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and Google Talk.

Instant Messaging became even more popular during COVID-19. Especially Zoom and Microsoft Teams. They both allowed video calls and messaging in real time which was used a lot in school. Now, Slack and Microsoft Teams are used frequently in the work world to help connect different teams within the same company. 

One pro of IM is that it better helps people connect internationally, it allows people to be able to talk to family members or friends over seas. IM also helps everyone connect easier, it allows real time responses and immediate feedback on a project or any issues that might arise during the work day. It is a lot more efficient because you do not have to wait for an email which could take hours or even days. 

Some cons of IM is distraction, security, and message interpretation. IM is a big distraction in the work world and just in general. People will quickly pick up their phone to check who texted them when they are driving, or doing homework, or working. Security is also a big part because you put in your own personal information into the databases and people can easily hack into the systems and take your information. So it is a risk joining these different platforms. Also, another big thing is message interpretation because you cannot see a person's emotions or body language through a text message. People could read a text one way but the sender did not mean it in the way they thought. It can cause a lot of fights and miscommunication. 

Overall, instant messaging has become a great thing in this generation because it allows so many different people to connect and talk to each other easier.