It was the late 90s, social media platforms like Facebook didn't yet exist, texting was in its infancy, email was very popular, instant messaging was up for...

The bottom of the article links to the history (individual features) of other IM programs from that era as well like ICQ and Yahoo Messenger.

  • Uninvited Guest@lemmy.caEnglish
    201·
    4 hours ago

    I’m surprised no one mentioned Facebook.

    I recall using MSN as far as in to 2009, but the friends I was connected with migrated to Facebook when their chat feature rolled out.

    • blackn1ght@feddit.ukEnglish
      1·
      1 hour ago

      Same, it was pretty much an instant change too. Which sucked as Facebook chat was very unreliable at the time and obviously not very feature rich.

    • kevindqc@lemmy.worldEnglish
      3·
      4 hours ago

      The article touches on that

      The advent of social media and mobile devices couldn’t be ignored either. These technologies were enabling new ways for people to stay in touch with friends and family that didn’t involve a traditional computer.