OBJECTIVES AND MOTIVATIONS

              Having used instant messenger regularly since sixth grade, I have been interested in the extent to which it has impacted my life for some time. While my parents often accused me of being addicted to “IM” and urged me to stop using it, I found that it was almost impossible to not use it—not only because it allowed instant communication access to anyone I wanted to talk to, but also because it became a necessary tool for going over homework problems with my friends, reviewing study questions, and working on projects. It was, however, unarguable that a substantial amount of my time was being wasted on meaningless IM small talk. After not using IM for the first two weeks at Cal, something I thought would be positive and conducive to my studies, I found myself losing touch with many of my friends from home. Considering the numerous positive and negative aspects of IM, I hope to finally understand through researching scientific studies the cumulative impact of IM on general youth life and culture.