Farewell, AIM: AOL Instant Messenger is signing off permanently
from PC world 06 October indexed on 06 October 2017 20:01It's the end of an era that realistically ended a decade ago. On Friday, AOL announced that AOL Instant Messenger (AIM) will shut down permanently on December 15, 2017. When I heard the news, my mind flashed back to the boxes full of America Online CDs in every store, to the dubstep-like beeps and boops of a 28.8K modem connecting to the Internet, and AIM chat rooms providing a real-time connection with people around the world long before social networks accomplished the same task. But the rise of social networks like Facebook and Whatsapp were the final nail in AIM's coffin. The company acknowledges that the times aren't just a-changing now that we're in the smartphone era—they've already been altered forever. “AIM tapped into new digital technologies and ignited a cultural shift, but the way in which we communicate with each other has profoundly changed,” writes Michael Albers, VP of communications at Oath (the Verizon brand that gobbled up AOL). To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
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