AOL Instant Messenger, or AIM, shut down this morning after 18 years. It was a quiet end to a program that has been abandoned for quite some time.
I began using AIM not long after it started. It began as a way to communicate with my friends that had AOL, and I didn't. At first it was just a small set of friends. Then I started finding random people to talk with. Before long I was chatting with friends all over the country.
Through my college days, I met so many friends through AIM. I went on a few dates with girls I met on AIM. I kept up with my classmates from high school and college. Through it all, AIM was there. When my dad was traveling overseas, AIM provided a free, instant method of communication. My girlfriend, now wife, and I talked almost daily on AIM while we were dating.
In recent years, AIM has been shunned for more accessible platforms, such as Gmail chat and Facebook messenger. I last signed into AIM a few weeks ago, and found only 1-2 friends actually online. A few others were "mobile", most likely using either a 3rd party app or left in the background on their PC. I don't even remember the last time I engaged in a conversation on AIM. Ask almost anybody that was on my buddy list, and you'd probably hear a similar answer.
It was time for AIM to go. But the memories and friendships will last forever.
I began using AIM not long after it started. It began as a way to communicate with my friends that had AOL, and I didn't. At first it was just a small set of friends. Then I started finding random people to talk with. Before long I was chatting with friends all over the country.
Through my college days, I met so many friends through AIM. I went on a few dates with girls I met on AIM. I kept up with my classmates from high school and college. Through it all, AIM was there. When my dad was traveling overseas, AIM provided a free, instant method of communication. My girlfriend, now wife, and I talked almost daily on AIM while we were dating.
In recent years, AIM has been shunned for more accessible platforms, such as Gmail chat and Facebook messenger. I last signed into AIM a few weeks ago, and found only 1-2 friends actually online. A few others were "mobile", most likely using either a 3rd party app or left in the background on their PC. I don't even remember the last time I engaged in a conversation on AIM. Ask almost anybody that was on my buddy list, and you'd probably hear a similar answer.
It was time for AIM to go. But the memories and friendships will last forever.
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