ABSTRACT
As of 2005, 68% of U.S. adults and 87% of youth aged 12 to 17 (Lenhart, Madden, & Hitlin, 2005; Lenhart et al., 2003) used the Internet. Estimates are that 81% of adults and 45% of youth own cell phones, and that whereas e-mail may be ubiquitous in the workplace and used widely among adults, youth appear to prefer instant messages for wireless text-based communication (Rheingold, 2002). Given the explosion in Internet, wireless, and computer-based technologies in the past 15 years, HIV/AIDS prevention and service providers are anxious to tap into opportunities to harness the potential of these powerful communication media to deliver eff ective HIV prevention interventions.
