AIM Is Officially Shutting Down And Twitter Is Sobbing Because It's The End Of An Era

We had high expectations for 2017 but it has been a pretty intense year and to add to that, news just broke about AOL Instant Messenger (AIM) being shut down after 20 years. Many of us spent countless hours looking for the perfect away message that our crush would eventually see and then bring up to you the next day. And don't even get me started on the amazingly petty squabbles that were born from silly AIM conversations. Sad Tweets about aim shutting down are taking over the Twitterverse and anyone who used AIM as a child, probably feels sad, too.

If you want to enjoy sending a few more AIM messages before the platform shuts down for good, you will have until December 15 to do so because after that, the once useful OG application will be gone for good. AOL announced that they would be shutting down their instant messaging service early morning on Oct. 6 with an official press release sadly titled "Our Yellow Running Man is Ready to Retire." OK, that brought a tear to my eye.

"AIM tapped into new digital technologies and ignited a cultural shift, but the way in which we communicate with each other has profoundly changed," wrote VP of of Communications Product at Oath, Michael Albers. "As a result we’ve made the decision that we will be discontinuing AIM effective December 15, 2017. We are more excited than ever to continue building the next generation of iconic brands and life-changing products for users around the world."

Here is what the Twitterverse has to say about this sad sad news.

"~*~*dOn't CRy bECausE iT's over, SMiLe bEcaUSe it haPpeNEd*~*~"

"AIM will finally die its last death later this year"

"RIP AIM 1997-2017"

"AIM Is Officially Dying And So Is Your Childhood on December the 15th"

"holy shit i can't believe AIM is shutting down that's how i made friends for a large portion of my life"

"Me when I see people asking what #AIM was."

""RIP AIM" The 90's is mailing you a radio recorded mixtape of love songs."

"Get on AIM and hear that door open, you knew what time it was."

"I blame AIM for helping me get C's in classes I should have been getting A's in."

"AIM, ah memories. "Ill A.I.M. you later, K"

"Class, Lunch, Class, Class, Hoopin...back around 5. Holla at me." #AIM"

"#FlashbackFriday A farewell toast to AOL Instant Messenger. RIP AIM."

"AIM was my entire adolescence RIP"

It is truly the end of an era! Even thought most of us probably never even think about AIM, it is always sad when something from your childhood or adolescence is taken away.

Earlier this year, everyone freaked out when news broke about Microsoft Paint being discontinued too. The Tweets were so dramatic and intense that Microsoft decided to keep Paint but in a different version. Here is how they assured their users that everything would be OK.

Amidst today's commentary around MS Paint, we wanted to take this opportunity to set the record straight, clear up some confusion and share some good news: MS Paint is here to stay, it will just have a new home soon, in the Windows Store where it will be available for free.

Who knows, maybe AOL is going to do the same as Microsoft and release a newer version of AIM or something. Or maybe, it's just time for us to let go and just remember the good times we had on AIM.

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