[IAmNotACellist]

MUDs were awesome. Usenet too, IRC, then IM like ICQ and AIM.

[sedatk]

I first heard about ICQ in 1997 too (UINs were still 6 digits at the time), but dismissed it because I thought it was ridiculous to make yourself always available for messaging. It didn't make any sense to me at all. But, the world had other plans. The next year, when all of my friends were using it, I could only get a 8-digit UIN.

Today, I can relate even more so than ever to my ICQ-skeptic self from 1997 though.

[throwaway519]

You weren't available all the time then. It was perfectly natural to assume someone wasn't at their computer and that was perfectly ok. It wasn't necessary to give status updates that you would in fact be on time to meet like you said you'd be, things were a little more planned, and you'd call or SMS if really needed but mainly don't want to intrude.

[AStonesThrow]

My girlfriend and I pounced on ICQ in that year. I wound up with UIN# 279866.

And then ICQ was invaded and subverted by Russia. I mean pervasively. Just like LiveJournal was, later on.

I have come to believe that these were simply psyops that were a bit less anticipated than TikTok was.

Imagine the power of Russian threat actors knowing when and where every kid was online and wanting to chat, and who all their friends were.