IM vs. Email: Which Communication Method Takes the Lead and What Drives Its Popularity?

For those who recall their first email account, the thrill of finding a quick and efficient way to communicate with people globally was unmatched. It was so fast that traditional mail earned the nickname 'snail mail.'

Danah Boyd, a researcher and blogger specializing in teen online behavior, compares email to a mailbox to illustrate why young people favor instant messaging (IM) over email. To teens, email feels outdated, much like snail mail. While they have email accounts, their primary communication occurs through other platforms.

Can you recall the last time you received a truly memorable letter in your mailbox? When did you last rush to your mailbox with excitement? Even on vacation, you likely request the post office to hold your mail and forget about it entirely. Yet, whether you're relaxing on a beach in Borneo or exploring new destinations, you’ll likely visit an Internet café multiple times daily to check your email.

This is precisely how teens view instant messaging. IM is where the action happens and where their friends gather. While email works for submitting homework to teachers, genuine interaction thrives on the speed, closeness, and accessibility of IM.

Interestingly, IM is gradually becoming more popular among adults, particularly as a tool for workplace collaboration. Many professionals are tired of dealing with spam and the clutter of “reply-to-all” emails flooding their inboxes. They’re discovering that office IM systems, along with collaborative platforms like wikis and conferencing software, can significantly enhance workplace efficiency.

What sets IM apart from email, and what influences someone to prefer IM over email or vice versa? Continue reading to explore the key distinctions and factors that shape these preferences.

IM vs. E-mail

The key distinction between IM and email lies in the concept of presence [source: The National Archives]. When you send an email, you have no way of knowing if the recipient is online, when they’ll read your message, or if they’ll respond at all. In contrast, IM software notifies you when your friend is online and ready to chat. Sending an IM significantly increases the likelihood of an immediate response.

The presence feature of IM makes it a real-time communication tool, akin to telephone calls or in-person discussions. When you send an IM, the recipient gets the message almost instantly after you hit send. Technically, real-time communication requires a direct, active connection between the parties involved. For phone calls, this connection is facilitated by telephone networks, while for IM, the Internet serves as the bridge.

Email, however, operates on a store and forward model. Outgoing emails are stored on a server and then transmitted across the Internet to a recipient’s server (for more details, see How E-mail Works). To access new emails, the recipient must log in to their email client or webmail service and retrieve messages from the server. This process inherently prevents real-time interaction, as there’s always a delay between sending and receiving messages.

Both IM and email come with their own set of pros and cons, which is why many people use a mix of both. The benefit of email is that recipients can read and reply to messages at their convenience. If you’re heading out for lunch and three new emails pop up, there’s no rush to respond immediately. Senders understand that it could take hours or even a day to receive a reply.

This leads to email’s primary drawback: the potential delay in receiving a response. As a result, email is typically used for messages that aren’t extremely time-sensitive. If you need a reply by the end of the day, email is suitable. However, for urgent matters, you’re better off using the phone or IM.

The biggest strength of IM is its speed. Decisions can be made swiftly, and answers are obtained almost instantly. Multiple users can join an IM chat room and work together in real time. There’s no need to send the same idea to six people via email and wait for their overlapping and often confusing responses.

However, the main downside of IM is that it requires both parties to be online simultaneously. Often, this means both users must be logged into the same IM platform or compatible ones. Unlike email, which operates on a universal protocol, each IM service—whether it’s AOL Instant Messenger, Yahoo! Instant Messenger, ICQ, or Google Chat—uses its own protocol, which may not be compatible with others.

The benefits and drawbacks of IM and email largely depend on your communication needs, which vary based on who you are. In the following section, we’ll explore the popularity of IM and email and identify their primary user groups.

IM vs. E-mail with Different Users

Age plays a significant role in whether someone prefers IM or email, as shown by data from the Pew Internet & American Life Project. The gap in communication preferences between teens and adults continues to grow each year. Simply put, teenagers are embracing IM, while most adults remain loyal to email.

Around 30 percent of teenagers use IM daily, compared to just 10 percent of adults [source: Pew Internet & American Life Project]. Additionally, an AOL survey found that 70 percent of teens send more IMs than emails, while only 24 percent of adults say the same [source: AP, AOL].

For teenagers, IM is a key part of a broader culture of staying connected. Teens and others in the Net Generation prefer to maintain close, almost continuous contact with their friends. This explains why instant messaging and its mobile counterpart, text messaging (SMS), are so widely used. While the messages are brief, they foster a sense of constant connection, even when friends are apart—whether by a classroom or an ocean.

Email, for teens, is seen as a more formal way to communicate, typically reserved for schoolwork or interactions with adults. To them, email feels too slow and tied to specific locations, like home or the library. With the ability to send and receive IMs from cell phones, one in three teens now uses IM on the go (source: AP, AOL).

Email usage among adults has remained consistently high since the early 2000s. A March 2000 survey by the Pew Internet & American Life Project revealed that 91 percent of online adults had sent or read emails. By December 2007, that figure had risen slightly to 92 percent. Daily email use saw a modest increase, from 52 percent in 2000 to 60 percent in 2007.

However, the more intriguing trend is the decline in IM usage among adults. In 2000, 45 percent of adults had used instant messaging, but by 2007, that number had dropped to 39 percent. Daily IM use also decreased from 12 percent in 2000 to 10 percent in 2007.

The workplace is one area where IM is gaining traction among adults. According to AOL, 27 percent of working adults reported using IM at work, with half believing it boosted their productivity (though 79 percent admitted to sending personal IMs during work hours) [source: AP, AOL].

Studies show that using IM strategically in the workplace can significantly boost productivity and teamwork. Imagine needing the most recent sales figures from your sales manager. You could visit their cubicle, but you might get sidetracked by colleagues along the way. Sending an email is an option, but there’s no guarantee of a quick reply. Calling them works, but it often involves small talk before addressing the main issue.

IM, however, eliminates these formalities. It’s designed for quick, straightforward communication, making it ideal for specific business scenarios. Unlike office emails, which often suffer from over-editing and excessive cc’ing, IM encourages faster, more candid exchanges. This speed fosters honest discussions and the free flow of ideas, enhancing collaboration. An AOL survey found that 19 percent of employees now send more IMs than emails to coworkers [source: AP, AOL].

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