AOL has announced it is closing down AIM – the instant messenger programme popular in the 90s and early 2000s.
Back in its heyday, AOL Instant Messenger was extremely popular – boasting 100 million registered users back in 2001.
You needed a CD to use it, and in the days of dial-up internet, you probably had to wrestle with whoever was on the phone to get online.
All good things come to an end. On Dec 15, we'll bid farewell to AIM. Thank you to all our users! #AIMemories https://t.co/b6cjR2tSuU pic.twitter.com/V09Fl7EPMx
— AIM (@aim) October 6, 2017
People started sharing their memories of the instant messenger that would make or break friendships all those years ago.
goodbye to the greatest conversation i've ever had a thousand times
heyheysupnmunmhttps://t.co/V1J9eGwoKl
— Daniel Solomon (@Dan_E_Solo) October 6, 2017
It was the place to be if you’d forgotten what your homework was or wanted the chance to chat to your school crush.
When you're waiting for your 7th grade crush to log onto AIM after school and you hear the *door open* sound. pic.twitter.com/plQsIqdXPJ
— Jerry David (@BostonJerry) October 6, 2017
And what about those all-important screen names?
This is a sad moment. Middle school wouldn't have been the same without it! RIP angelbaby0800 (my first screenname embarrassingly enough 😂) https://t.co/Qjl28JhkUW
— Natalie Gerke (@Ngerke) October 6, 2017
And those cryptic away messages that really put your point across.
~~ * ~ dOn't cRy BeCaUse it's oVeR smile because it happened ~ * ~~ https://t.co/Moogfgc5iD
— Taylor Lorenz (@TaylorLorenz) October 6, 2017
Eventually, the software was overtaken by texting, which was then largely replaced by apps like WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger.
Facebook’s grandma is in hospice. Let’s all pay our respects. https://t.co/qqiuhdWk8V
— Chris Sacca (@sacca) October 6, 2017
Michael Albers, VP of communications product at Oath – which owns AOL, said: “If you were a 90s kid, chances are there was a point in time when AOL Instant Messenger (AIM) was a huge part of your life.”
“AIM tapped into new digital technologies and ignited a cultural shift, but the way in which we communicate with each other has profoundly changed.”
RIP AIMAOL Instant Messenger
We go way back. You were there with me in the beginning of my internet days.
You’ll never be forgotten. pic.twitter.com/lVvj5VLUS0
— Josh 🎃 (@JoshxHolder) October 6, 2017
AOL says you’ve still got time to download your chat history, if you want to archive those embarrassing teenage memories.
And if you’re just feeling nostalgic, you have until the December 15 to log on, but after that AIM will be no more.
*DOOR SLAM SOUND EFFECT* https://t.co/Tauk2aqAct
— Max Scoville @NYCC (@MaxScoville) October 6, 2017