A Statistical Analysis of Electronic Instant Messaging Consequences in Networks

Abstract

Instant messaging (IM) is a form of electronic message transmission in wireless, mobile and wired networks, where the message becomes immediately available to the recipients. Despite its widespread use and popularity, this technology can have certain consequences on people and ultimately the society where they live in. To understand some of these consequences, this paper investigates possible correlations between IM and some behavioral outcomes using real data collected from 500 graduate students. More specifically, the connection between IM-related afflictions and reported guilt are studied and established here, by conducting correlation and regression analyses. The main aim is examining the associations between IM usage and intimacy, self-reported addiction, as well as self-reported guilt. Our findings using collected data indicate a strong positive correlation between IM usage and self-reported guilt, as well as IM addiction and IM guilt. Findings underscore the significance of further research on IM usage in modern societies. The results are of interest to application developers and service providers to revise their IM tools designs to minimize negative consequences on the users; businesses and organizations and schools to optimize their performance and productivity, and healthcare professionals to treat people suffering from IM overuse and its consequences.