Editing Instant messaging (section)

== Effects of IM on communication ==
{{See also|Text messaging#Social effects}}

=== Workplace communication ===
Instant messaging has changed how people communicate in the workplace. Enterprise messaging applications like [[Slack (software)|Slack]], [[TeleMessage]], [[Teamnote]] and Yammer allow companies to enforce policies on how employees message at work and ensure secure storage of sensitive data.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.telemessage.com/text-messaging-apps-are-transforming-workplace-communications/|title=Text Messaging Apps Are Transforming Workplace Communications|website=TeleMessage|language=en-US|access-date=2020-04-01}}</ref> They allow employees to separate work information from their personal emails and texts.

Messaging applications may make workplace communication efficient, but they can also have consequences on productivity. A study at Slack showed on average, people spend 10 hours a day on Slack, which is about 67% more time than they spend using [[email]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://learn.g2.com/messaging-apps-affect-productivity|title=Are Messaging Apps at Work Affecting Team Productivity?|last=Kashyap|first=Vartika|website=learn.g2.com|language=en|access-date=2020-04-01}}</ref>

Instant messaging is implemented in many [[Videoconferencing|video-conferencing]] tools. A study of chat use during work-related videoconferencing found that chat during meetings allows participants to communicate without interrupting the meeting, plan action around common resources, and enables greater inclusion.<ref>{{Citation |last1=Sarkar |first1=Advait |title=The promise and peril of parallel chat in video meetings for work |date=2021-05-08 |work=Extended Abstracts of the 2021 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems |pages=1–8 |url=https://doi.org/10.1145/3411763.3451793 |access-date=2021-11-01 |place=New York, NY, USA |publisher=Association for Computing Machinery |doi=10.1145/3411763.3451793 |isbn=978-1-4503-8095-9 |s2cid=233987188 |last2=Rintel |first2=Sean |last3=Borowiec |first3=Damian |last4=Bergmann |first4=Rachel |last5=Gillett |first5=Sharon |last6=Bragg |first6=Danielle |last7=Baym |first7=Nancy |last8=Sellen |first8=Abigail}}</ref> The study also found that chat can cause distractions and information asymmetries between participants.

=== Language ===
{{See also|SMS language|Emoji|Emoticon}}
[[File:LolTextMessage.jpg|thumb|'lol', a popular example of slang on instant messaging and texting]]
Users sometimes make use of [[internet slang]] or [[text messaging#Effect on language|text speak]] to abbreviate common words or expressions to quicken conversations or reduce keystrokes. The language has become widespread, with well-known expressions such as '[[LOL|lol]]' translated over to face-to-face language.

Emotions are often expressed in shorthand, such as the abbreviation [[LOL]], [[Internet slang|BRB and TTYL]]; respectively laugh(ing) out loud, be right back, and talk to you later. Some, however, attempt to be more accurate with [[emotional expression]] over IM. Real time reactions such as (''chortle'') (''snort'') (''guffaw'') or (''eye-roll'') have been popular at one point. Also there are certain standards that are being introduced into mainstream conversations including, '#' indicates the use of sarcasm in a statement and '*' which indicates a spelling mistake and/or grammatical error in the prior message, followed by a correction.<ref>[http://wiki.networkdictionary.com/index.php/Instant_Messenging instant messaging] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100212114903/http://wiki.networkdictionary.com/index.php/Instant_Messenging |date=February 12, 2010 }}, NetworkDictionary.com.</ref>