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One of the most popular uses of the
internet, particularly among newcomers, and widely regarded as the driving
force behind the success of aol. Once viewed as merely an internet
enthusiast's version of cb radio, chat is now at the heart of the
online community and has attracted the attention of most of the big players
in the internet world. A good illustration of chat's success is the program
icq (bought by aol in 1998), which now has 135m registered
users.
Chat on the internet takes many forms, from the free-for-all
Internet Relay Chat (irc) channels to one-to-one programs such as
icq and aol's Instant Messenger. Most work around a simple,
text-only window where messages to an individual or group are typed and the
responses read, but more advanced chat programs also include
videoconferencing and voice communication features. Many people use chat
as a cheap alternative to long-distance or international phone calls, but
there are channels and rooms on many thousands of subjects, and some
services allow users to set up private rooms for more intimate
conversations. Many companies now use chat technology on their website to
provide customer-service features, such as live one-to-one technical support
for software products, in preference to phone calls.
Chat rooms have become a more visible part of the internet culture
as a result of cases in which adults, posing as teenagers, have arranged
meeting with children. So many chat rooms aimed at young people are now scrutinised by the authorities, who are not shy of prosecuting those they
find are seeking to break the law.
Defenders of the chat culture point to the community-
building virtues of such rooms as evidence for their continuation.
Meanwhile, the rapid growth of instant messaging software has given the chat
phenomenon new credibility with a previously sceptical audience of
professionals. This in turn has caused problems: some employees are spending
large parts of their day in chat rooms rather than working, and there are
surveys that indicate that chat-room encounters could be responsible for up
to one-third of divorces in the United States. |
