Wired:
For all we like to worry about how much of life happens on the internet now, a lot of life happened on AIM. Friendships and relationships started, ended, and often took place mostly in a chat window. It always started the same way: one person waiting for the other’s name to pop up on their Buddy List, then trying to wait at least a few seconds before chatting them so as not to seem desperate. Long before group texts, we planned life on AIM.
I’d bet the vast majority of us haven’t logged into AIM in years but we also felt a small tinge of regret with the announcement.
I have continued to use AIM through Adium for one or two people. I’ll find another way, but AIM was always rock solid. Au revoir.
I care that it’s gone now about as much as I care that DVDs, VHS, and audio cassettes are gone, because there are so many more and better channels of communication now.
But back in the early ’90s it was there before the world-wide web, and I thought I’d give it a try to help me find a mate. There was a personals section, and I posted a short list of the qualities I was looking for.
About three days later, the one and only person to answer was the person I eventually married. We took it easy getting to know each other. Emailing back and forth a lot, and then calling back and forth. Then I sent her a plane ticket for her to come and visit. We hit it off very well and decided to marry about a year from the first contact.
This year will be our 25th anniversary. We’re both still very happy, and we’ve made a great life together.
Likewise.
Wow. First time I’ve ever heard AIM put to that use. If I ever knew the service had a personals section, I’ve long since forgotten.
I’ve used AIM for iMessage on my work computer, that way I didn’t have to use iCloud.
I remember beginning to rely heavily on AIM in the workplace at some point around 1997. Among other things, it cut down on the number of times I’d need to walk across an office floor to ask someone a question, which was not necessarily a good thing.
The positive side was having reference for a conversation that wouldn’t require a relatively cumbersome email exchange.
AIM also enabled other bad habits on my part that I needed to unlearn when I began using more widely-seen social media channels.
Been using Adium as an AIM client for a bunch of years. My use has tapered down to sending links to and from my wife (at the next desk), saying an occasional hello to a former colleague who happens to be logged in, or a tech support chat two years ago.
It was in 1992.
That, plus “personals,” would explain it.