Instant Messaging: Then and Now




I have been using instant messaging (in one form or another) for more than 15 years.  I was a huge AIM user back in the day.  When I first started using instant messaging, the applications were very plain, with no frills like we see today.  The ability for individuals or groups to converse was about all that was available back then.  At that time, there were not a lot of people using instant messaging, which made for a very short contact list.  Eventually I moved to Yahoo Messenger, as this was the program that started introducing new offerings such as emojis.  I'm not sure who started offering emojis, but it was Yahoo Messenger that popularized them.

Today, instant messaging has grown into a widely-used mechanism for communicating with others.  from family and friends to co-workers, it seems everyone uses Instant messaging today.  Social media has played a huge role in the advancement of instant messaging, with Facebook Messenger most likely being the leader in highest numbers of users of instant messaging.  Social media has advance IM offerings, with such things as the ability to insert Gif's into posts.

I am looking forward to seeing where IM technology takes communication in the next 10 years!

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