Instant Messaging: Great communication tool, or senseless waster of time?

[SteveDallas]

In the past month, I've happened to come across several discussions about IM, from a PC Magazine article by John Dvorak, to a mailing list for IT directors in higher education, to a lecture on the impact of social software. And there's been a very clear division between those who feel that IM is at best frivolous and at worst an intellect-sapping waste of time; and those who feel it's a fabulous way to keep in touch with your current acquaintances and make new ones.

I personally am somewhat ambivalent toward it. I have no deep-seated philosophical objections to it, I just don't use it a lot. Though I admit this is possibly because I don't have many folks on my buddy list.

So, I'm curious, where other Dwellars fall down on the spectrum. Based on talking with people at some of the (live) meetings I've been at, I have a theory that it's somewhat age-related.