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1997 - 2017
AIM
“You've got away messages.”
- Birth year
- 1997
- Shutdown year
- 2017
- Lifespan
- 20 years
- Peak era
- 1999-2006
- Company
- AOL
- Category
- Messaging
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What Was It?
AIM was the buddy list that introduced a generation to online status, away messages, and screen name identity.
An AIM session started with a decision about how to appear to other people: choose a screen name, check the buddy list, and decide whether to be available or away. Those small signals made the desktop feel social before a public feed became the usual center of online life. An away message could be practical, a song lyric, or an invitation for someone particular to notice.
What disappeared with AIM was more than a chat window. Its recognizable combination of presence, private conversation, and personal expression belonged to a time when going online was often a deliberate part of the day.
Things You Probably Forgot
- Away message poetry
- Buddy icons
- Door opening sounds
- Screen name regret
- Profile stalking
The Story
- 1997 AIM launched.
- 2000 Became central to teen internet life.
- 2010 Usage declined sharply.
- 2017 AOL shut it down.
How It Died
Texting, social networks, and mobile messaging made desktop buddy lists obsolete.
What Replaced It?
Memories
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