Mobile Instant Messaging Apps Research Articles

Engagement With a Mobile Chat-Based Intervention for Smoking Cessation

Determining how individuals engage with digital health interventions over time is crucial to understand and optimize intervention outcomes. To identify the engagement trajectories with a mobile chat-based smoking cessation intervention and examine its association with biochemically validated abstinence. A secondary analysis of a pragmatic, cluster randomized clinical trial conducted in Hong Kong with 6-month follow-up. From June 18 to September 30, 2017, 624 adult daily smokers were recruited from 34 community sites randomized to the intervention group. Data were analyzed from March 6 to October 30, 2023. Chat-based cessation support delivered by a live counselor via a mobile instant messaging app for 3 months from baseline. Group-based trajectory modeling was used to identify engagement trajectories using the participants' weekly responses to the messages from the counselor over the 3-month intervention period. The outcome measures were biochemically validated tobacco abstinence at 3-month (end of treatment) and 6-month follow-ups. Covariates included sex, age, educational level, nicotine dependence, past quit attempt, and intention to quit at baseline. Of 624 participants included in the analysis, 479 were male (76.8%), and the mean (SD) age was 42.1 (16.2) years. Four distinct engagement trajectories were identified: low engagement group (447 [71.6%]), where participants maintained very low engagement throughout; rapid-declining group (86 [13.8%]), where participants began with moderate engagement and rapidly decreased to a low level; gradual-declining group (58 [9.3%]), where participants had high initial engagement and gradually decreased to a moderate level; and high engagement group (58 [5.3%]), where participants maintained high engagement throughout. Compared with the low engagement group, the 6-month validated abstinence rates were significantly higher in the rapid-declining group (adjusted relative risk [ARR], 3.30; 95% CI, 1.39-7.81), gradual-declining group (ARR, 5.17; 95% CI, 2.21-12.11), and high engagement group (ARR, 4.98; 95% CI, 1.82-13.60). The corresponding ARRs (95% CI) of 3-month validated abstinence were 4.03 (95% CI, 1.53-10.59), 5.25 (95% CI, 1.98-13.88), and 9.23 (95% CI, 3.29-25.86). The findings of this study suggest that higher levels of engagement with the chat-based smoking cessation intervention were associated with greater biochemically validated tobacco abstinence. Improving engagement with digital interventions may increase intervention benefits. ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03182790.

A Brief Intervention With Instant Messaging or Regular Text Messaging Support in Reducing Alcohol Use

Alcohol use is prevalent among university students. Mobile instant messaging apps could enhance the effectiveness of an alcohol brief intervention (ABI), but the evidence is scarce. To evaluate the effectiveness of an ABI plus 3 months of mobile chat-based instant messaging support for alcohol reduction in university students at risk of alcohol use disorder. In this randomized clinical trial, 772 students at risk of alcohol use disorder (Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test [AUDIT] score ≥8) were recruited from 8 universities in Hong Kong between October 15, 2020, and May 12, 2022. Participants were randomly assigned 1:1 to either the intervention or control group. Both groups received the same ABI at baseline, which consisted of face-to-face or video conferencing with research nurses who delivered personalized feedback based on the participant's AUDIT risk level, along with a 12-page booklet describing the benefits of alcohol reduction and the harmful effects of alcohol on health and social well-being. The intervention group then received 3 months of chat-based instant messaging support on alcohol reduction guided by behavioral change techniques. The control group received 3 months of short message service (SMS) messaging on general health topics. All outcomes were self-reported. The primary outcome was alcohol consumption in grams per week at 6 months of follow-up. By definition, 1 alcohol unit contains 10 g of pure alcohol. Secondary outcomes at the 6-month follow-up included changes in AUDIT score, weekly alcohol consumption, intention to drink in the next 30 days, drinking frequency and any binge or heavy drinking in the past 30 days, and self-efficacy of quitting drinking. The primary analysis followed the intention-to-treat principle, and linear regression (reported as unstandardized coefficient B) and logistic regression (reported as odds ratios) were used to compare the primary and secondary outcomes between the intervention and control groups. The study included 772 students (mean [SD] age, 21.1 [3.5] years; 395 females [51.2%]) who were randomly assigned to either the intervention (n = 386) or control (n = 386) group. In the intention-to-treat analysis, the intervention group had lower alcohol consumption in grams per week (B, -11.42 g [95% CI, -19.22 to -3.62 g]; P = .004), a lower AUDIT score (B, -1.19 [95% CI, -1.63 to -0.34]; P = .003), reduced weekly alcohol unit consumption (B, -1.14 [95% CI, -1.92 to -0.36]; P = .004), and less intention to drink (odds ratio, 0.66 [95% CI, 0.47 to 0.92]; P = .01) at the 6-month follow-up compared with the control group. In analyses adjusted for baseline characteristics, interacting at least once with the research nurse on the instant messaging application resulted in lower estimated alcohol consumption in grams per week (adjusted B, -17.87 g [95% CI, -32.55 to -3.20 g]; P = .01), lower weekly alcohol unit consumption (adjusted B, -1.79 [95% CI, -3.25 to -0.32]; P = .02), and a lower AUDIT score (adjusted B, -0.53 [95% CI, -1.87 to -0.44]; P = .01) at 6 months. Results of this randomized clinical trial indicate that mobile chat-based instant messaging support for alcohol reduction in addition to an ABI was effective in reducing alcohol consumption in university students in Hong Kong at risk of alcohol use disorder. ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT04025151.

Getting users to click: a content analysis of phishers’ tactics and techniques in mobile instant messaging phishing

Purpose This study aims to investigate how phishers apply persuasion principles and construct deceptive URLs in mobile instant messaging (MIM) phishing. Design/methodology/approach In total, 67 examples of real-world MIM phishing attacks were collected from various online sources. Each example was coded using established guidelines from the literature to identify the persuasion principles, and the URL construction techniques employed. Findings The principles of social proof, liking and authority were the most widely used in MIM phishing, followed by scarcity and reciprocity. Most phishing examples use three persuasion principles, often a combination of authority, liking and social proof. In contrast to email phishing but similar to vishing, the social proof principle was the most commonly used in MIM phishing. Phishers implement the social proof principle in different ways, most commonly by claiming that other users have already acted (e.g. crafting messages that indicate the sender has already benefited from the scam). In contrast to email, retail and fintech companies are the most commonly targeted in MIM phishing. Furthermore, phishers created deceptive URLs using multiple URL obfuscation techniques, often using spoofed domains, to make the URL complex by adding random characters and using homoglyphs. Originality/value The insights from this study provide a theoretical foundation for future research on the psychological aspects of phishing in MIM apps. The study provides recommendations that software developers should consider when developing automated anti-phishing solutions for MIM apps and proposes a set of MIM phishing awareness training tips.

Guidelines for Sustainable Use of Mobile Instant Messaging Apps in Higher Education: A South African Case Study

Objective: The purpose of the study was to propose guidelines to facilitate the sustainable and successful use of mobile instant messaging apps for learning and teaching based on a review of the literature and perceptions of educators. Fraser’s model of redistribution, recognition, and representation served as the theoretical framework. This study provides a mechanism for the development of a socially just and inclusive online classroom environment. Method: We conducted two focus groups (<em>n</em> = 4 and <em>n</em> = 3) in November 2021 at a university of technology in South Africa to explore the perceptions of educators on using mobile instant messaging (MIM) apps for learning and teaching, to identify challenges, and to suggest solutions. The data were thematically coded and analyzed to detect themes using Saldana’s six-step process. Results: Sustainable and successful use of MIM apps for learning and teaching requires guidelines in three areas: practical management, privacy and security, and sustainable use. Key considerations include uniformity of use, student consultation, data control, operating hours, appointment of a chat moderator, language communication, access control, monitoring communication, regular feedback, and formalizing MIM app use through institutional policies. Conclusion: The proposed guidelines promote the sustainable and successful use of MIM applications in learning and teaching environments. The guidelines offer practical solutions to ensure that the use of MIM apps is ethical, inclusive, and effective in supporting student learning.

¿Qué pasa with American News Media? How Digital-Native Latinx News Serves Community Information Needs Using Messaging Apps

Traditional and legacy Spanish-language news outlets are shrinking, leaving many communities in the U.S. without news that satisfies their critical information needs. At the same time, news media entrepreneurs are adopting and adapting to technological changes that offer new venues for news delivery. We use a mixed-methods research approach to analyze Latinx digital-native news media organizations that distribute news in Spanish via mobile instant messaging (MIM) apps. Results show that journalists took a bottom-up approach to meeting the information needs of their audiences, choosing MIMs because their readers were already established on those platforms. Our work also reveals that news delivered via MIMs focuses mostly on health, emergencies and public safety, civic information, and economic development.

Perceptions of Using Instant Messaging Apps for Alcohol Reduction Intervention Among University Student Drinkers: Semistructured Interview Study With Chinese University Students in Hong Kong.

Mobile instant messaging (IM) apps (eg, WhatsApp and WeChat) have been widely used by the general population and are more interactive than text-based programs (SMS text messaging) to modify unhealthy lifestyles. Little is known about IM app use for health promotion, including alcohol reduction for university students. This study aims to explore university student drinkers' perceptions of using IM apps for alcohol reduction as they had high alcohol exposure (eg, drinking invitations from peers and alcohol promotion on campus) and the proportion of IM app use in Hong Kong. A qualitative study was conducted with 20 Hong Kong Chinese university students (current drinkers) with Alcohol Use Disorder Identification test scores of ≥8 recruited using purposive sampling. Semistructured individual interviews were conducted from September to October 2019. Interview questions focused on drinking behaviors, quitting history, opinions toward IM app use as an intervention tool, perceived usefulness of IM apps for alcohol reduction, and opinions on the content and design of IM apps for alcohol reduction. Each interview lasted approximately 1 hour. All interviews were audio-taped and transcribed verbatim. Two researchers independently analyzed the transcripts using thematic analysis with an additional investigator to verify the consistency of the coding. Participants considered IM apps a feasible and acceptable platform for alcohol reduction intervention. They preferred to receive IMs based on personalized problem-solving and drinking consequences with credible sources. Other perceived important components of instant messages included providing psychosocial support in time and setting goals with participants to reduce drinking. They further provided suggestions on the designs of IM interventions, in which they preferred simple and concise messages, chat styles based on participants' preferences (eg, adding personalized emojis and stickers in the chat), and peers as counselors. Qualitative interviews with Chinese university student drinkers showed high acceptability, engagement, and perceived utility of IM apps for alcohol reduction intervention. IM intervention can be an alternative for alcohol reduction intervention apart from traditional text-based programs. The study has implications for developing the IM intervention for other unhealthy behaviors and highlights important topics that warrant future research, including substance use and physical inactivity. ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04025151; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04025151?term=NCT04025151.

Measuring the Effects of Usability Recommendations for Mobile Instant Messaging Apps on User Performance and User Behaviour

Researchers worldwide have extensively investigated the influence of Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) on Mobile Instant Messaging applications, exploring aspects such as usability issues and user behaviour. However, traditional HCI challenges remain in these applications today (ie, usability issues and lack of specific usability guidelines). In this paper, we present a contextual and methodological contribution measuring user performance (with a controlled experiment on a set of structured tasks following a within-subjects design) and user behaviour (with a user satisfaction questionnaire) on Mobile Instant Messaging applications with end users. Most of the current studies on Mobile Instant Messaging are focused on only one application at a time and in a specific region of the world. This experiment originally measures over four apps: Three in-market apps (apps with good usability results, selected from previous studies) and one app developed following usability recommendations. In addition, this research originally adds to the current literature results with participants from two different countries. The results show, as practical implications, that the application of specific usability recommendations for Mobile Instant Messaging applications (eg, adding a new contact only with the ID, or providing a visual distinction between individual and group chats, among others) significantly facilitates user performance with these applications. However, further dissemination is needed among researchers and developers. The findings on user behaviour show that the number of close contacts using a particular Mobile Instant Messaging application strongly determines the user’s intention to continue using an application. And not the features offered or the acceptance of the user interface, as most current studies suggest.

Cultural influence on using mobile instant messaging applications to develop and maintain friendships

Mobile instant messaging (MIM) applications have gained popularity in recent years. Their useful and effective features help users communicate more effectively. Communication technology adoption requires an understanding of cultural factors. In this study, there are four cultural dimensions evaluated: collectivism (COL), masculinity (MAS), power distance (PWR), and uncertainty avoidance (UA). These four cultural dimensions of a country were studied in order to understand their relation to two constructs of friendship development (FD) and relationship management (RM). Furthermore, this study examines the relationship between those two constructs and people’s intentions to continue utilizing MIM. Three hundred and twenty-one respondents from Taiwan participated in an online survey. The PLS-SEM method was used to perform the data analysis. In the study, a significant correlation was found between collectivism and friendship development and relationship management. However, masculinity does not have a significant impact on friendship development. A high power distance does not negatively affect relationship management. A high power distance has a significant positive effect on relationship management. An increase in uncertainty avoidance does not negatively affect friendship development. However, an increase in uncertainty avoidance has a significant positive effect on friendship development. MIM apps for friendship development and relationship maintenance are impacted by four cultural dimensions. These findings provide theoretical and practical implications for insight into these factors.

Mobile instant messaging techno-stressors: Measurement, dimensionality, and relationships with type of usage

Increasingly popular mobile instant messaging (MIM) apps allow users to interact anytime and anywhere with different purposes, such as coordinating work-related issues, staying in touch with people they love, or passing the time. But recent research suggests that MIM may create excessive demands on people and become a source of technostress. For example, users may experience communication overload, invasion of their face-to-face activities, pressure to respond to messages with urgency, or ambiguity regarding the intention or tone of their interactions. Building on these ideas, we develop a specific, multidimensional measure of MIM technostress and explore how it relates to different uses. To do so, we use survey data from a diverse sample of 1,259 residents in Spain. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses conducted on different halves of the sample supported a four-dimensional, second-level construct of MIM stress. Furthermore, structural equation model results suggest that not all uses are equally associated with MIM stress. Relatedness and intimacy uses were not positively related to MIM stress or any of its dimensions. Conversely, work uses, coordination of social activity, and even passing the time were positively associated with all techno-stressors. We discuss our findings with an eye toward promoting healthy use of MIM apps.

Mobile Instant Messaging Uses and Technostress: A Qualitative Approach

A growing number of people use mobile instant messaging (MIM) apps for a variety of purposes—most commonly related to social interaction, but also to coordinate work-related activities, fulfill informational needs, and discuss politics and public affairs. Despite its convenience for daily life, MIM may also act as an environmental antecedent of technostress due to users’ inability to cope with the demands of the app in a healthy manner. We conducted two qualitative studies (N1 = 26; N2 = 147) to examine why people use MIM apps in their daily life and if diverse uses relate to MIM stress differently. This research (1) develops a general catalogue of MIM uses; (2) suggests a four-dimensional construct of MIM technostress consisting of overload, ambiguity, invasion, and urgency; (3) outlines several differences across age groups and between genders; and (4) describes possible relationships between MIM uses and stress.

Participatory parity through teaching with Telegram

The COVID19 pandemic thrust emergency remote teaching (ERT) into the global spotlight and thereby undeniably changed aspects of the higher education (HE) landscape. For a developing country such as South Africa (SA), the use of the mobile instant messaging (MIM) application (app) called Telegram represents a practicable solution to overcome historical socio-economic challenges faced by certain demographic groups of limited or restricted access to devices and data. Against this backdrop, a Telegram teaching intervention was developed by two lecturers in the Engineering Faculty at a University of Technology (UoT) in SA to deliver curriculum content and engage with students in a low-tech, low-cost/low-data usage manner, and consequently to widen access to education, promote inclusivity and thereby facilitate student access, retention and success. This study explored student perceptions of the MIM app being used as a primary vehicle to deliver succinct instructional materials and facilitate class activities to offset the lack of faceto-face classes in a multimodal and flexible curriculum delivery approach. Following the completion of the Telegram teaching intervention, a mixed method approach was used that included two online surveys measuring different aspects of the same project (n=34 and n=32) and a focus group interview (n=6). Three research lenses suggested by Fraser (2008) were used to evaluate student perceptions of the usefulness and (dis)advantages of Telegram. These lenses were: (1) redistribution (of resources), (2) recognition (related to social status) and (3) representation (who can act/say/ challenge in an academic environment). Ethical clearance was obtained from Cape Peninsula University of Technology’s Ethics committee. Initial results indicate that using the Telegram app for teaching and learning was successful. Significantly, the app allows for the emergence of a socially just online classroom environment and an inclusive and enabling learning experience for the students during a very disruptive and fearful time in the world’s history.

A dynamic network perspective on the evolution of the use of multiple mobile instant messaging apps

ABSTRACT Mobile instant messaging (MIM) services have emerged as digital platforms for closed and private modes of communication. The present study adopts a dynamic network approach to understanding how MIM apps are used in combination with each other. The changing patterns of cross-platform MIM use are reflected in the structural dynamics of the audience overlap network among 58 MIM apps over March 2019 to March 2021 period. The results of the separable temporal exponential random graph model indicated that the formation and persistence of audience overlap was explained by network self-organization and app reach, but not by app engagement. These effects were observed when app-level confounding factors were held constant.

Mobile instant messaging apps as an opportunity for a conversational approach to marketing: a segmentation study

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to understand how firms may be segmented with respect to their attitudes towards the use of mobile instant messaging (MIM) apps (e.g. WhatsApp, Messenger, WeChat, etc). in their marketing practices to identify the main approaches to the use of MIM in business. Moreover, this paper identifies the key factors which can motivate or hinder the adoption of these digital platforms.Design/methodology/approachFirms are segmented on the basis of their attitudes (perceived usefulness and perceived effectiveness of performance) towards the use of MIM apps in the business. Categories for size, age of the firm and the organization’s predisposition towards MIMs are explored using data from 311 firms and latent class analysis. Threats, triggers and their real usage are also identified to describe the different approaches towards the application of MIM apps in marketing practices.FindingsFour clusters are identified – lukewarm, cold, believer and unaffected – along with significant covariates such as the importance of conversation with the client, the use of MIMs in the business, the threats and triggers that can foresee adherence. The results help to understand how to approach the client using social messenger applications. MIM apps can be used for strategic marketing and not only for operative marketing.Originality/valueThis paper offers a more nuanced understanding of how firms engage through MIM apps by focusing on the firms’ attitudes towards MIM apps. It extends the knowledge on the firms’ reactions to these disruptive technologies and profiles the firms according to their social innovation attitudes, something that has not yet been investigated in the extant marketing literature.

Bridging the Informal and Formal Learning Spaces with WhatsApp

WhatsApp is the most popular mobile instant messaging (IM) app in the global south. Hence, its use in informal and formal learning spaces has significant potential and is worthy of investigation. This study explored how University faculty and students in Namibia and India used WhatsApp for learning support and to bridge the gap between formal and informal learning. From a total of 182 participants, results reveal that WhatsApp has the potential to engage users in an informal and formal learning support and delivery environment. Learning designers and those responsible for professional development need to take note of this instant messaging app and experiment with various culturally contextual learning design models to support learning.

The Future of New Learning Way for The Visually Impaired Learners: Use Bionic Eye with Voice Assistant

Chatbots can be defined as artificial narrow intelligence (ANI) which can perform a single task such as answering people’s question by harnessing the power of machine learning. There is some educational-related chatbots developed to interact with learners in mobile instant messaging (MIM) apps. Nowadays, there are more and more voice assistant developed in our world. They aim to fulfill user requests by choosing the best intent from multiple options generated by its Automated Speech Recognition and Natural Language Understanding sub-systems. Bionic eye is also still develop for the blind, it plays a vital part by restoring the vision. Technologies that are involved in bionic eyes are-multiple unit artificial retina chip system (MARC). This report describes an approach for the design and development of a voice assistant based on chatbot development basis combined with bionic eye application for an eLearning system with the learner’s personal needs.

Work-related Mobile Instant Messaging Use After Work Hours During Covid-19 Pandemic

The Covid-19 pandemic has a far-reaching impact on workplace practices with billions of employees worldwide have to alter work patterns. Most employees fully embraced digital technologies, including mobile instant messaging (MIM) apps, to fulfil their work obligations under new normal. However, the work-related MIM use does not translate into good practice. Its use has extended beyond the contracted schedule, worsening work-life balance, job satisfaction and job performance among employees. Despite the gradual easing of lockdown measures, work-related MIM use after work hours will likely continue to an undetermined period as herd immunity is yet to achieve. Therefore, this captures the urgency to understand the mechanism on how work-related MIM use after work hours can be beneficial to employees during the pandemic, which is under-represented. The study elicited data through an online survey from 368 full-time employees in Malaysia. The evidence suggested employees who obtained information sharing gratification, mobile convenience gratification and self-presentation gratification enjoyed better WLB, subsequently formed higher job satisfaction and ultimately enhance their job performance, based on the postulation of the Uses and Gratification theory and Job Demands-Resources theory. Thus, work-related MIM use after work hours should not be interpreted negatively. Both researchers and practitioners should work jointly on how to implement practices concerning healthy yet sustainable MIM use after work hours to be more resilient for future pandemics.

What's up? Mobile instant messaging apps and the truckers′ uprising in Brazil

This study aims to investigate the trajectory of the truckers' uprising in Brazil in May 2018 - one of the hitherto largest social movement enabled by WhatsApp in the world - in order to understand its relationship with the use of this mobile instant messaging app. Thus, by applying the Actor-Network Theory as the theoretical and methodological lens associated with a single case study, one identified the relevant actors in the development of the socio-technical network related to this truckers' strike that occurred in Brazil. The study sets forth that this movement comprised sundry actors aligned around a single obligatory passage point – the social networks enabled by WhatsApp – and reveals that WhatsApp, with its specific dynamics, played a crucial role in an uprising that took place in a country of continental dimensions such as Brazil, favoring change in the way the demonstrators gathered and interacted, leading formal organizations to be less necessary and broadening the political participation of the society. Finally, one concluded that WhatsApp enabled a power shift from government to truck drivers and their unions, which indicates the need for a new digital governance based on distribution and transparency of information, accountability, and participation of citizens in government decisions to curb new uprisings enabled by mobile instant messaging apps.

Search, Action, and Share: The Online Behaviour Relating to Mobile Instant Messaging App in the Tourism Context

This study aims to assess the AISAS (attention – interest – search – action – share) model in a tourism setting. AISAS is considered as the most comprehensive model to illustrate one’s behaviour relating to modern media, particularly mobile instant messaging application. So far, the studies on AISAS in the tourism context are limited. Participants of this study were those who had a mobile instant messaging app, member of a chat group and had an experience holidaying after obtaining information from other group members and sharing their holidaying expertise in the same chat group. Data were collected by using an online instrument and attracted 408 participants consisting of 132 males and 276 females. This study found that the AISAS model can predict tourists’ behavioural relating to the use of mobile instant messengers as a medium for searching and sharing information. This study showed how tourists became a ‘cyborg’ when they attached to the internet of thing (IoT) in every stage of their behaviour relating to tourism activities.

I Share, You Care: Private Status Sharing and Sender-Controlled Notifications in Mobile Instant Messaging

While mobile instant messaging (MIM) facilitates ubiquitous interpersonal communication, its constant connectivity could build the expectation of an immediate response to messages, and its notifications flood could cause interruptions at inopportune moments. We examine two design concepts for MIM-private status sharing and sender-controlled notifications-that aim to lower the pressure for an immediate reply and reduce unnecessary interruptions by untimely notifications. Private status sharing reactively reveals a customized status with a selected partner(s) only when the partner has sent a message. Sender-controlled notifications give senders the control of choosing whether to send a notification for their own messages. We built MyButler, an Android app prototype that instantiates these two concepts and integrated it with KakaoTalk, a commercial MIM app. During a two-week field study with 11 pairs (5 couples and 6 friend pairs), participants expressed themselves through a total of 210 different statuses, 64.3% of which indicated the current activity or task of the user. Participants reported that private status sharing enabled them to explain their unavailability and relieved the pressure and expectations for timely attendance. We reveal more findings on the types of privately shared statuses and their roles in MIM communication; the in-situ behaviors and patterns of using sender-controlled notifications; and the motivations of MIM users in choosing whether to alert their messages. In terms of message notifications, senders chose to send 25.4% of the messages without any notification. We found that senders' decisions to alert are affected by the receiver's status, their own status to chat, and the possibility of message content exposure to others through notifications. Based on our findings, we draw insights into how the concepts of private status sharing and sender-controlled notifications can be applied in future designs and explorations.

Does mobile instant messaging facilitate social presence in online communication? A two-stage study of higher education students

Online social presence supports student learning by making group interactions more appealing and has become a central concept in computer-mediated communication. However, questions remain over how social presence is presented in a mobile instant messaging (MIM)-facilitated environment and to what extent MIM can afford social presence compared to a threaded discussion forum. This study offers a new contribution by examining the social presence levels afforded by a MIM app (WeChat) and comparing it with a threaded discussion forum. We present a two-stage study. In stage 1, we analyzed social presence levels in the MIM postings of class A with a validated instrument comprising three dimensions, namely, affective, interactive, and cohesive responses. In stage 2, we employed a historical cohort control experimental research study to compare social presence levels manifested in class A to those in class B who used an online forum. Follow-up interviews were conducted to solicit explanations of the differences in social presence levels. The results show that compared to the asynchronous threaded forum, the quasi-synchronous MIM is particularly suited to promoting (a) expression of emotions (affective social presence), (b) expressing agreement (interactive social presence), and (c) phatics and providing support (cohesive social presence). Four attributes might contribute to the differences including (a) the ease of use of non-verbal cues, (b) location-free digital interaction, (c) presence awareness, and (d) multimodality. The implications for future practices and research are discussed.