"If you were an internet user around the turn of the century, there's a good chance I could play a one-second long sound of a door opening and memories would immediately come flooding back. Memories of running home from school and logging onto AOL Instant Messenger to chat with your friends or your crush. Maybe memories of how AIM changed the way your company did business. Certainly memories of your old screen name, and the angsty song lyrics you put into your away message."
"AIM was, for a time, the most important chat app on the internet. It also barely managed to continue to exist. The app was created by a semi-rogue team inside of AOL, and was loathed by the executives who wanted to keep AOL as the all-powerful walled garden it once was. But as soon as AIM launched, it became practically undeniable."
"On this episode of Version History, we tell the story of AIM's rise, its importance for multiple generations of internet users, and its ultimate inability to keep up with social networks, texting, and other messaging apps. David Pierce, Victoria Song, and author and journalist Kyle Chayka document the platform's creation inside of AOL, try to make sense of why it was so vital to internet life for a while, and wonder what might have happened if AIM had stuck around."
AIM triggered immediate personal memories for many users through its door-opening sound, away messages, and screen names. The app originated inside AOL from a semi-rogue team and faced executive resistance from those defending AOL's closed-walled-garden strategy. AIM rapidly became a central communication tool for individuals and businesses, shaping early internet social dynamics. AOL never found a reliable business model or strategic pivot to capitalize on AIM's influence. Over time, social networks, texting, and newer messaging apps eroded AIM's dominance. The platform's cultural impact outlasted its technical relevance, leaving nostalgia for its role in early online life.
Read at The Verge
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