World’s most popular Instant Messenger to shut down soon
One of the most popular and oldest messaging services will be shutting down soon. AOL Instant Messenger (AIM), which took birth in 1997, will be officially discontinuing on December 15 after a long run of 20 years. AIM through a Tumblr post shared their “One Last Away Message”.
AIM explains how the “new digital technologies and ignited a cultural shift but the way in which we communicate with each other has profoundly changed”. As of December 15, AIM will be discontinued. AIM will be deeply missed by the 90’s kids who share their first memories of engaging online.
People at AIM know how exactly you feel which can be seen through their message as it reads, “If you were a 90’s kid, chances are there was a point in time when AOL Instant Messenger (AIM) was a huge part of your life. You likely remember the CD, your first screenname, your carefully curated away messages, and how you organized your buddy lists. You might also remember how characters throughout pop culture from “You’ve Got Mail” to “Sex and the City” used AIM to help navigate their relationships. In the late 1990’s, the world had never seen anything like it. And it captivated all of us.”
News of AIM shutting might not surprise many since AOL had blocked access to AIM for third-party clients earlier in March this year. With the advent of smartphones, people moved over to mobile messaging and eventually ditching desktop messaging. ‘Online’ communication now rests in the hands of apps likeWhatsApp, Apple iMessage, Facebook Messenger, and more.
This is the second messaging service seeing its death. Yahoo Messenger, an even more popular messaging service among teenagers, was shut down last August. The trail was created with MSN Messenger shutting down in 2014. All this seems inevitable but the nostalgia associated with these platforms will never be forgotten.
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