![]() What is shared becomes one’s onstage personality. Everything that goes unseen-every dormant Away Message, unflattering selfie, and drafted tweet-makes up that backstage personality. Stored Away Messages, then, offered a backstage purpose, similar to how teenagers today might carefully choose which images to share on Instagram or Snapchat. She explained: “If you imagine life as a theater, we have backstage versions of ourselves, we have onstage versions of ourselves-each one is shaped by who is watching.” “It’s a set of ‘who we are’ being based on how we imagine the audience we’re in front of.” “He theorized that people don’t have just one, single, static identity, but rather a set of tensions,” Alper said. To understand AIM’s import in identity formation, though, first consider sociologist Erving Goffman’s theory of identity. Their flexibility (being able to change them on a whim) as well as their economy (being able to save a few oft-used messages for recall at a moment’s notice) made them especially apt at breaking down the inside/outside way many characterize their identities. “With AIM Away Messages, you had a semi-permanent place to represent yourself online.”Īway Messages-more often than not consisting of moody song lyrics for angsty teens-were a foray into a new way of thinking about one’s identity, Alper said. “There was really this sense of something pervasive about you on the computer, even if you weren’t there,” she said. ![]() Those Away Messages, something of a precursor to tweets and Facebook statuses, were among the first hints of the ubiquitous communication and online profiles we have now, Alper said. You'll have to convince some of your friends and family members to join the service also, since your AIM contacts of yesteryear are wiped out.To consider their products “life-changing” is certainly ambitious, but at least in the case of AIM, perhaps not too far off. Lastly, change the settings to reroute the server from America Online through to the Wildman Productions. Then, you can register for an account and log in using your new credentials. If you opt for the Lite version, you can choose from nine different themes including Gray Moose, RedBull, and Pink Sparkles. How to register:ĭownload the old version from the AIM Phoenix website where you will be prompted to choose from 10 different release options spanning from 1.0 to AIM Lite. But the service's popularity declined as social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter took over the online social scene.ĪOL only officially shut down the service late last year, citing a "cultural shift" in the way people communicate. Created as an extension of AOL's desktop software, the instant messaging client helped to revolutionize the way people interact online. When launched in 1997, AIM was a staple of personal computers. More: Smiletime now pop.in for video chat rooms More: Yahoo execs are out in Verizon's new Oath leadership team More: RIP AIM: AOL Instant Messenger is gone Or, in the name of nostalgia, you can sign-up using your old credentials before someone else takes it. However, there is an opportunity for you to snag the username you always dreamed of having. ![]() Since it's no longer affiliated with AOL, there is no access to old buddy lists or messages. Though AIM uses the same software loyal fans grew up with, the reincarnated service is run by Wildman Productions, a non-profit gaming development team. But this time it's not run by America Online. Now called AIM Phoenix, the popular messaging application from the late 90s and early 2000s is back. Watch Video: Goodbye AOL Instant Messenger, or AIMĪOL Instant Messenger (AIM) has risen from the ashes. ![]()
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