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New York City is #1 Instant Messaging City in U.S.; NYC Internet Users Are Most Active, Most Savvy IM Users DULLES, Va.--June 26, 2003-- America Online Instant Messaging Trends Survey Shows Instant Messaging Use Exploding Nationwide; Overall, 76% of Online Population Use an Instant Messenger Application Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., San Francisco, Los Angeles Round Out Top Five IM Cities New York City has emerged as the number one instant messaging city in the country, according to a new survey released today by America Online, Inc., the world's leading interactive services company. The survey, comprising 3,650 respondents age 13 and over, examined instant messaging adoption, use and habits, finding that New York City Internet users are the most active and most savvy in the U.S., according to factors like time spent instant messaging, number of people on their contact list and number of ways they use instant messaging. The AOL Instant Messaging Trends survey, conducted in partnership with Opinion Research Corp. from May 30th through June 9th, also showed an explosion in the overall popularity of instant messaging, with more than three-quarters of respondents (76%) saying they use an instant messaging application. AOL(R) Instant Messenger(TM) (AIM(R)) is the most popular instant messaging application used (60%), followed by MSN (45%) and Yahoo (37%). According to the survey, the top ten instant messaging cities are: 1. New York 2. Philadelphia 3. Washington, DC 4. San Francisco 5. Los Angeles 6. Atlanta 7. Boston 8. Seattle 9. Columbus, OH 10. Toledo, OH Steven McArthur, Executive Vice President of Messaging at America Online Inc. said, "These survey results clearly demonstrate that instant messaging is becoming a vital part of the online experience. Across the country, and nowhere more than in New York, Internet users rely on instant messaging as a fun, convenient and easy way to communicate. Whether it's to chat with friends, do business, keep up with family, or help with schoolwork, instant messaging is becoming an application that we can't live without." The survey found that in New York City: -- Nine in ten New York Internet users (89%) say they instant message, by far the highest percent of any of the 18 markets surveyed. Overall, 87% say they instant message at home, 17% at work, 14% at school and 10% via a wireless device; -- Instant messaging users in New York have an average of 39 people on their contact list, the highest of any market; -- Chatting with friends (88%) and family (74%) are the most common uses of instant messaging in New York. About one in four also use it to share files (26%), play games (14%), get customer service (10%) or for work (9%); -- New York IM users spend an average of 12 hours a week instant messaging, compared to an average of 10 1/2 hours in all the other markets tested; -- New Yorkers have been using IM for an average of four years, tying the Big Apple with Washington, DC for instant messaging tenure; and -- Overwhelmingly, AOL is the instant messaging application most-used by New Yorkers (90%), with Yahoo (22%) and MSN (20%) far behind. AOL is stronger in New York than in any other market. Other key national findings from the survey include: -- Nine in ten 13-17 year olds on the Internet instant message (93%), compared with 80% of 18-34 year olds and 71% of those 35 and older. -- Nearly all (71%) instant message at home, while 21% do so at work, 8% via a wireless device and 7% at school. -- By far the most common use of instant messaging is to chat with friends (85%), followed by chatting with family members (73%). About one in four (26%) use instant messaging to share files and photos, while 14% use customer service and 13% play games. -- About six in ten instant messaging users (59%) customize their application with features like buddy icons (85%), sounds (59%) and wallpaper (43%). -- Those using instant messaging have been IM'ing for an average of three and a half years (3.7). Survey Methodology: Survey results are based on 3,650 respondents, 13 years and older, in 18 markets around the country. The New York City results are based on online surveys with 205 New York area Internet users. A total of 183 were instant messengers. The survey was conducted May 30-June 9, 2003 by Opinion Research Corporation. The survey rankings are a compilation of several key factors, including the current percentage of adults online who are instant message users; the number of places where they instant message; the number of ways they use instant messaging; the number of hours per day they instant message; the number of years they have been instant messaging; the average number of instant messenger conversations they have going at one time; the number of people on their contact list; and the number of instant message abbreviations they recognize. About America Online, Inc. America Online, Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of AOL Time Warner Inc. (NYSE: AOL). Based in Dulles, Virginia, America Online is the world's leader in interactive services, Web brands, Internet technologies and e-commerce services.