I can distinctly remember in middle school, rushing to get home to turn on AIM. Looking back now, it’s kind of strange how often the people we would be communicating with in real life were the same ones we rushed home to talk to. But here I look fondly back at a messaging device that most millennials including myself, used and loved.
1.) Your Screenname
Careful thought and planning went into the creation of a screenname that easily said who you were but also didn’t. While some people put careful consideration into the numbers at the second half of their screenname, others took the easier route and just used their birthdays, which should be noted by today’s standards of identity theft was probably a bad idea. I took this route. Mine was carefully orchestrated to reveal my love for my favorite television show, Buffy the Vampire Slayer. My second screenname was a bit more mysterious. It revealed my love for the Backstreet Boys, but if you didn’t know me or you weren’t a fan, you might not have caught on. I also thought it would look cooler if I alternated caps and lower case. Hence BsBgUrL was born.
2.) Multiple Screennames
Way back before ghosting was a thing, having multiple screennames was an easy way to see if someone you had been talking to really fell off the face of the earth, or they just decided to block you. It was also an easy way to spy on crushes. You could log in on your other screenname and check what they posted on their profile. (It should be noted that this often backfired as they could easily do the same to you, but we all did it.)
3.) The Coveted Away Message
I know I’m not the only one here when I say that my away messages were on point. Sometimes I would just log on and be away because they were just that good. (Don’t lie, you know you did the same.) They would perfectly reflect my current mood and allow me to be cryptic when I wanted to be. The best way to do this of course was to use song lyrics and television and movie quotes. I dug into my vault to share just a few of my favorites. Extra points go to those of you who can pinpoint which songs these are from and bonus points if you can name the television show I was watching that inspired them.
"Not everything is gonna be the
way
You think it ought to be.
It seems like every time I try to make
it right it all comes down on me."
"Careful what you wish and just
how
far you let it lead you......
'til you find you can so simply go
on"
Try these ones out. Which television show are they from? Bonus points if you can name the character
who said them!
"Nothing's ever simple anymore.
I'm constantly trying to work it out. Who to love or hate. Who to trust. It's
just, like, the more I know, the more confused I get."
"Well...
Well, why do you think she went to that party? Because you gave her the
brush-off! And you never let her do anything except work and patrol! And I know
she's the Chosen One, but you're killing her with the pressure! I mean, she's
sixteen going on forty! And you! I mean, you're gonna live forever! You don't
have time for a cup of coffee?!"
"It
begins where it ends....in nothingness. A nightmare born from deepest fears,
coming to me unguarded. Whispering images unlocked from time and distance. A
soul unbound--touched by others but never held. On a course charted by some
unseen hand. The journey ahead promising no more than my past reflecting back
upon me, until at last, I reach the end. Facing a truth I can no longer deny.
Alone, as ever."
Before there were cell phones and the advent of emojis, we had to rely on simple keyboard combinations, which I definitely don’t remember very well. These few were common:
:)- happy
;)- wink
:(- sad
:P- sticking tongue out
<3- heart/love
5.) Buddy List
It always seemed to be a competition among friends as to who could get the most friends on their "Buddy List." You could easily divide your "buddies" into different lists, so that you wouldn't combine your friends and family into the same category. It's interesting how we felt the need to do this. Many people even made a list with people they would never IM but wanted see if they were online. It was certainly a good spying tool.
6.) Robots
Before there was Siri there was SmarterChild. You could ask him a question and he would try and answer it. He got just as easily confused as Siri does and didn't like it if you said mean things to him.
There you have it. These are all the amazing features kids growing up today will never have the chance to know or understand, but I'm glad I did. There was something so simple about those middle school years. I can't remember the last time I actually said, "Catch ya later on AIM?" but I remember how glorious it was to ask that. Now excuse me while I sign off for the last time:(.
