AOL's AIM Is Dead But the Memories Live On

America's first instant messenger signs off for the last time.

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DULLES, VA - MAY 19: The original AOL logo figurine is displayed at an employee's desk at AOL headquarters on May 19, 2010 in Dulles, VA. (Photo by Ricky Carioti/The Washington Post via Getty Images)

AOL

Today, '90s kids mourned the loss of their favorite instant messenger as AOL said good bye to AIM. The company released a message via tumblr thanking their "buddies" for "making chat history" with them throughout the years and stated that effective today, they'd be discontinuing the instant messaging app. 

There truly was nothing like rushing home from school, booting up that dial-up connection, and hearing that familiar tone as you logged onto AIM to catch up on all the dumb drama that was taking place via instant messenger and away message shade. For many of us, AIM was the first form of social media we had, and it's influence quickly spread from our home computers to the world of pop culture to become a household name. All those embarrassing screen names and emo away messages left for our crush will soon be a distant memory. Thanks for the memories, AIM. *doorslam sound*

People took to one of AIM's descendants, Twitter, to share their #AIMmemories:

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