--- title: Aim Dying Inspired the Funniest Reactions and Memes description: AOL's iconic instant messaging service is going the way of the dodo on Dec. 15 — and some are remembering its quirks fondly. canonical: https://time.com/4972583/aim-ending-reactions/ author: Raisa Bruner article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2017-10-06T16:57:18.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-04-13T07:47:50.705Z og:title: AIM Is Signing Off Forever. Internet Instantly Has Feelings. og:description: Screen names — and your childhood — are over. og:url: https://time.com/4972583/aim-ending-reactions/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt6c9d6163d7405628/6988e0d7096a944e8069fe1c/aol-instant-messenger-icon.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 3920 og:image:height: 2205 og:image:alt: AOL Buys Huffington Post For $315 Million To Rekindle Ad-Revenue Growth og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: AIM Is Signing Off Forever. Internet Instantly Has Feelings. twitter:description: Screen names — and your childhood — are over. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt6c9d6163d7405628/6988e0d7096a944e8069fe1c/aol-instant-messenger-icon.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # AIM Is Officially Signing Off Forever. The Internet Instantly Had So Many Hilarious Feelings. > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME The Brief: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition The Brief is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. The day's top headlines, curated by TIME editors. The Brief brings TIME's perspective to the day's most important stories, helping readers understand not just what is happening, but why it matters. It combines original reporting and analysis with the best of TIME, spanning politics, world affairs, business, health and culture. 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It curates the day's top headlines with TIME's reporting and analysis across politics, world affairs, business, health and culture. It is free to join at time.com/newsletters. #### How do I sign up for The Brief? The Brief is available free at time.com/newsletters, where readers can select it along with any of TIME's other six newsletters. There is no subscription required to receive it. #### Is The Brief free? Yes. The Brief is a free daily email newsletter from TIME. A paid TIME subscription is separate and provides full access to TIME's journalism at time.com/subscribe-agent. #### Who writes The Brief? The Brief is led by editor Richard Hall and draws on reporting from TIME's newsroom. Every edition is assembled by TIME editors rather than generated automatically.  by [Raisa Bruner](https://time.com/author/raisa-bruner/)  ## Raisa Bruner Oct 6, 2017 4:57 PM UTC  An AOL Inc. Instant Messenger inflatable logo sits on display in the company's headquarters in New York, U.S., on Monday, Feb. 7, 2011\. AOL agreed to buy the Huffington Post for $315 million as the internet company spun off from Time Warner Inc. increases its investments in online content to help revive growth in advertising revenue. Photographer: Jin Lee/Bloomberg via Getty Images An AOL Inc. Instant Messenger inflatable logo sits on display in the company's headquarters in New York, U.S., on Monday, Feb. 7, 2011\. AOL agreed to buy the Huffington Post for $315 million as the internet company spun off from Time Warner Inc. increases its investments in online content to help revive growth in advertising revenue. Photographer: Jin Lee/Bloomberg via Getty Images Bloomberg—Bloomberg via Getty Images  by [Raisa Bruner](https://time.com/author/raisa-bruner/)  ## Raisa Bruner Oct 6, 2017 4:57 PM UTC Your childhood is over. AIM — AOL’s instant messaging service, which predated today’s [Facebook Messenger](http://time.com/4503176/google-allo-vs-imessage-vs-facebook-messenger/), Snapchat, iMessage, [Slack](http://time.com/money/4901549/you-should-be-paranoid-about-your-company-monitoring-slack/) and so many other forms of chat — is officially shutting down and signing off forever on December 15, it [announced Friday,](https://twitter.com/aim/status/916290747850264577) after 20 years in operation. A generation of internet users were introduced to the concept of socializing through a (desktop) screen thanks to AIM, with its iconic “Buddy List,” emo, song-lyric-laden away messages, and a minimalist profile page that let kids (and adults) craft a virtual persona full of inside jokes and [Comic Sans](http://time.com/3520405/comic-sans-typewriter/) font use. AIM was also a great place to develop a chill relationship with your middle school crush, who you could casually hit with a “Sup?” in the after-school hours. Of course, the internet is not letting AIM die in silence. No, people are really letting their feelings out about this ending era. From the memorable sounds the app played to the screen names that defined identities to the now-ubiquitous online shorthand that it spawned (g2g! idk! brb! nm, jc! LOL), here’s how AIM is getting memorialized. > [](https://twitter.com/juliareinstein/status/916321798580572160) > [](https://twitter.com/sakelfc/status/916318925666709504) > [](https://twitter.com/faintestofheart/status/916325951440637952) > [](https://twitter.com/CMooreHere/status/916326283038134272) > [](https://twitter.com/BarstoolNate/status/916319286473392129) > [](https://twitter.com/TheMixedOne24/status/916324059612188672) > [](https://twitter.com/LuvmeKrazy/status/916322885362438144) > [](https://twitter.com/cultofbednar/status/916324103895654400) > [](https://twitter.com/JessDayGeorge/status/916326800141180931) ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4972583/aim-ending-reactions/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4972583/aim-ending-reactions/"},"headline":"AIM Is Officially Signing Off Forever. 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