Walking through the residence halls past the open doors one might hear a ding and know that someone has sent a message or received a reply on America Online's Instant Messenger. Back and forth the sound goes, broken only by incessant hammering on a keyboard.
AIM has become a universal tool of communication for students at UB and one that many claim they cannot live without.
"You're always available," said Emily Johnston, a sophomore double-majoring in psychology and health and human services. "It's like a cell phone. If you want to have lunch or make a study date, you're always connected. If you're not connected to it, you feel like you're missing out."
While some students said they were introduced to AIM in high school, most agreed that their use of the program greatly increased when they came to UB.
"I started using it when I was in high school, probably in 10th grade," said sophomore Michael Shields, a psychology major. "I use it more in college. When I was home, most people used AOL itself, but you can't see people's profiles. Here, people use AIM more."
Shields said he talks to fellow students, family and friends from home, and finds AIM to be a useful tool to organize study groups.
"I learned about it in my freshman year of college," said Jason Bader, a junior business major, "Then I became addicted (to) checking people's away messages. It's a habit."
Bader said he used AIM to talk to friends at school and family home in Long Island, as well as people in other schools around the country.
The draw of AIM, according to junior media studies major Josh Fischberg, is the ease of use and being able to find out if the person you want to talk to is available.
"I speak to my friends more on IM than phone," said Fischberg. "You don't have to call and get a busy signal; you know if they're there. You can talk to your friends as much as you want."
Christen Rymanowski, a junior double majoring in dance and psychology, agreed that AIM makes it much easier to keep in touch with friends.
"It's easier to talk to someone because you just click on a button and they're right there instead of walking to another building or talking on the phone," said Rymanowski.
Another perk that draws students to their computers from their phones is cost. AIM is free to download and use-an attractive asset for college students.
"I've done a lot of programs out of state and to talk to people my phone bill was really high," said sophomore Naomi Rosenzweig. "It helps you keep in touch with people, especially on the college level."
While some students feel this impersonal form of communication removed their inhibitions, others did not like not being able to read expressions and hear intonations.
