Millennials grew up with the internet and witnessed online trends come and go. As they matured, they saw instant messaging apps rise to fame. In this article, we’re taking a trip down memory lane to revisit some of these forgotten messaging apps that only millennials will remember.
AOL Instant Messenger (AIM) was launched in 1997 and became one of the first widely-used messaging platforms. It helped popularize internet slang like A/S/L and Buddy Icons. AIM allowed users to send messages, photos, and videos, as well as make phone calls.
MSN Messenger was launched by Microsoft in 1999 and found itself in a war with AIM. What made it unique was its alignment with the rest of Microsoft’s suite of services. By 2003, it had reached 110 million monthly users, making it one of the most popular messaging apps at the time.
Yahoo Messenger released in 1998 and quickly gained popularity. Its features like IMVironments and the “Buzz button” made it stand out from other messaging apps. Yahoo Messenger was eventually shut down in 2018 after being acquired by Verizon.
MySpaceIM was a social media platform’s instant messaging service that launched in 2007 and partnered with Skype to offer phone calls. However, its success was short-lived due to Facebook’s rise to power. MySpaceIM is now defunct.
ICQ was the first mass-adoption instant messaging service, launching in 1996. Its unique UIN system assigned users a handle based on when they signed up. ICQ allowed gamers to contact each other outside of playing and reached over 100 million users at one point.
These forgotten messaging apps may be gone, but for millennials, they hold nostalgic value.
Source: https://www.bgr.com/2130339/instant-messaging-apps-only-millennials-will-remember