AOL Instant Messenger

E10976

AOL Instant Messenger was a pioneering late-1990s and early-2000s instant messaging service that popularized online chat and status-based communication for mainstream internet users.


Statements (53)
Predicate Object
instanceOf instant messaging service
online chat service
proprietary software
alsoKnownAs AIM
countryOfOrigin United States
developer AOL
America Online
discontinued 2017
genre instant messaging client
inception 1997
influenced Apple iChat
Facebook Messenger
Google Talk
modern presence-based chat systems
license proprietary license
mainSubject instant messaging
online communication
notableFeature away messages
buddy list
chat rooms
direct connect
file transfer
screen names
status messages
notableFor popularizing online chat for mainstream users
popularizing status-based communication
operatedBy AOL
AOL Inc.
ownedBy AOL
Verizon Communications
partOf AOL services
platform Android
BlackBerry OS
Microsoft Windows
iOS
macOS
web
protocolUsed OSCAR
TOC
reasonForDiscontinuation competition from mobile messaging apps
decline in usage
releaseDate May 1997
serviceShutdownDate December 15, 2017
shortName AIM
significantPeriod early 2000s
late 1990s
typicalUserBase mainstream internet users
teenagers in the United States
usedFor group chat
online social interaction
person-to-person messaging
real-time text communication
userInterfaceLanguage English


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