AOL has announced officially that AOL Instant Messenger (AIM) will be switching off their servers on December 15, marking the end of 20 years of instant messaging. AOL was the dominant instant messaging service in North America during the last years of dial-up, and the early years of broadband spread.
https://www.notebookcheck.net/This-December-AIM-will-follow-the-dial-up-modem-into-the-sunset.257604.0.html