For me, Instant Messaging (or IM henceforth) started during my high school years with a little program called ICQ.  Think of it as a much more powerful version of AOL’s AIM (at least AIM back during those days).  In fact, amongst those in ‘the know’, using AIM was one of the greatest sins that could be committed.  I still remember my ICQ number (4826971 – yes, you had numbers).

Then all the girls discovered AIM (sorry ICQ), so that became the de facto for IM’ing.  For the rest of high school and all through-out college I was constantly on AIM.  If I wasn’t I felt like I could be missing important conversations (or the all important reading of other peoples profiles/away messages).

But alas, all good things come to an end.  I graduated, moved up to Northern VA, started working, stopped chatting.  I probably hadn’t talked to anyone on IM in about 6 months prior to yesterday when I did some catching up with an old bud.  In the past 4 years I would say my number of IM conversations doesn’t even number above 30.  A number I might have had in a single (good) day of college.

I really couldn’t tell you why, other than I just didn’t see those people anymore.  Didn’t feel like I had anything to talk to them about.  It also seemed that none of the new friends I was making used IM (or at least it wasn’t like in college where you asked for their screen name before even getting a phone number).  Now that I’m back online I see that many others are still signed in (although the number has dropped significantly), probably conversing away.

So, dear reader, I ask you.  What made you stop/keep IM’ing these days?