As technology has progressed, our ability to send messages to people through various devices has expanded and now between computers and phones, messages by text have become the way of the world. Text messaging makes perfect sense as an alternate to phone calls: you’re at dinner, an event, a busy area and voice communication is not as good an option as written communication. However, instant messaging as far as I can tell if for people who never wish to have a close or intimate relationship ever again. There are certainly times when instant messaging makes sense: you’re at work all day and can’t talk on the phone, you need to speak to a large number of people at the same time. But that’s it. Those are the only reasons an IM should be sent over making a phone call. In an IM you lose tone, inflection and meaning. I remember a conversation I had with a person over instant messenger where I interpreted a sentence completely differently than it’s intended meaning and was angry at someone for an entire month before it was cleared up. So please, let’s all get back to making phone calls, even if the conversations only last for 5 minutes. Unless of course you wish to die alone in an alley.