The New York Times had a story Thursday about how kids use instant messaging that is relevant to my current reading about Information Ecologies. The chapter I'm now reading defines the complex way in which an information ecology takes place - the interplay between the technology itself and the people who use it. The authors make the important point that the technology alone is not determinative. The authors say:
We cannot overemphasize a key point here: only the participants of an information ecology can establish the identity and place of the technologies that are found there. Indeed, this is a responsibility, not just an opportunity.
Away messaging, a function of instant messaging, has become something of an obsession on college campuses, providing communication, entertainment, procrastination and social life all rolled into one. "Students go online just to read their friends' away messages," said David Jacobson, a professor of anthropology at Brandeis University, who has taught courses examining away messages. "It's a whole new dynamic that's really remarkable."