MSN messenger finds its feet in India

Instant messaging easiest way for Indians to stay in touch

MSN's instant messenger is proving to be the easiest way for Indians to stay in touch, make friends and also find their potential life partners.

In a recently conducted survey to know the characteristics of people as reasons for using MSN's Instant Messaging (IM), it has been found that 90 per cent of the people use IM to stay in touch. MSN survey received 49,391 valid responses worldwide, of which 696 valid responses were from India.

On observing the Indian trends, it was found that nearly 77 per cent use IM everyday and a further 12 per cent nearly everyday. What is more interesting is that nearly 31 per cent of the respondents in India agree that IM is a great way to find romance.

In fact, this is higher than the worldwide average. The research was carried out on MSN sites in 13 markets worldwide including eight European countries, Brazil, Canada, India, Mexico and the US.

It asked nearly 50,000 people worldwide about the use of IM services. The results were then analysed by Computer Human Interaction expert Prof. Helen Petrie from City University, London, to provide an understanding of the way the technology has changed how users communicate and interact with one another.

The most common uses of IM are chatting with friends (94 per cent), keeping in touch with friends or family abroad (73 per cent), keeping in touch with family (64 per cent) and discussing work with colleagues (50 per cent).

It seems that the nature of today's 'always online' culture has also led to a shift in the dating rituals of the modern singleton. However, in India, only 27 per cent of the people have used IM to set up a date, which is lower than the worldwide average.

MSN has also come in handy for these individuals to know the nature of their partners, very early in a relationship. Nearly 55 per cent of people report that they have used IM to get to know someone they were keen on, very early in the relationship.

However, about 21 per cent agree that finding a date is a lot easier face-to-face, which is lower than the worldwide average. This also reflects poorly on the computer penetration in the country, unlike in the US or Europe where chatting on the web is the easiest way to meet new people.

According to Shriram Adukoorie, director, MSN South Asia, "It is fantastic to see MSN Messenger having such a positive effect on people's lives, helping them stay connected to their friends and family, and even chat with prospective dates."

When the survey attempted to find the difference of opinion between women and men using IM, it was shown that women in India utilise this service more than men. Nearly 92 per cent of the women and 90 per cent of men said that they use IM.

More Indian men than women say they have used IM to set up a date (29 per cent of men versus 20 per cent of women).

However, since it is not face-to-face communication, more men than women have used IM to lie to someone they were keen on about what they were up to (12 per cent of men and 4 per cent of women).

While more men than women think IM is a great way to find romance (34 per cent of men and 13 per cent of women), more women than men think that IM has had a very positive effect on their relationships, saying that they IM friends all the time (55 per cent of men and 63 per cent women).

Despite a high usage of SMS, nearly 62 per cent of men and 59 per cent of women say they use IM more than SMS.

Among those who responded, nearly 80 per cent came under the High IM category, while 10 per cent each came under the Low IM and non-IM category.

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Staying connected

• 77% use IM everyday
• More Indian women than men use the service
• More men than women use the service to set up dates
• 62% of men and 59% of women use IM more than SMS