AOL Instant Messenger Is Finally Going 'Away'

NEW YORK, NY — AOL Instant Messenger — commonly called "AIM" by those in the know — will be shutting down on Dec. 15, ending the once dominant chat program that enthralled internet users across the country beginning in the late '90s.

"We know there are so many loyal fans who have used AIM for decades; and we loved working and building the first chat app of its kind since 1997," AOL said in a statement. "Our focus will always be on providing the kind of innovative experiences consumers want. "

Watch: AOL Instant Messenger is shutting down after 20 years

The program might best be remembered by those who came of age in the internet boom, the time of dial-up modem sounds and waiting for your parents to get off the phone before you could log on. AIM gave each user a "Buddy List," a catalogue of contacts listed by screen names. For young adults and pre-teens looking to connect with friends at home, the "Buddy List" was both a treasure trove and minefield, containing the possibility for both close connections and cyberbullying. (For more national stories, subscribe to the Across America Patch to receive daily newsletters and breaking news alerts.)

AIM built upon the email and chatrooms of the early internet while presaging the days of frequent texting and instant communication long before Facebook, Twitter, SnapChat or even smartphones had emerged on the field.

The company does not plan on releasing any replacement chat program. Now, the personal online chatting space is dominated by programs such as Google Hangouts, Slack and HipChat.

Email addresses ending in @aim.com will still function. Users should be able to save some of their information contained on AIM before the program officially shuts down. But come the morning of Dec. 15, AIM will no longer function and any data stored on it will be lost.

"Twitter was inspired, to a degree, by the, 'away message' in AIM," tweeted Biz Stone, co-founder of Twitter. An "away message" is default text that users can send automatically when they're not using AIM or have let the program idle.

Photo by Andrew Burton/Getty Images