Media Switching and Media Integration: An Examination of Instant Messaging and IP-Calling Practices

Research on email, voicemail, and instant messaging highlights the extent to which conversations often consist of multiple messages exchanged over a fairly extended period of time, using more than one communication medium. This research in progress explores the impact of increasing availability and integration of communication tools on media switching practices, which is the act of changing media in the course of a conversation. Specifically, the research outlined examines media switching, and the impact of media integration on it, through a multi-phase study of Instant Messaging and IP-Telephony practices. The study focuses on the effects of integrating Instant Messaging and IP-Telephony on media switching. In particular, the nature of media switching observed in the study is from Instant Messaging to other forms of media including telephone, face-to-face conversations, and email.