AOL Instant Messenger will be shut down soon

AOL Instant Messenger, the once-popular chat service launched in 1997, will shut down on December 15. The impending closure was announced by AOL on Tumblr.

Michael Albers, VP of Communications Product at Oath, writes that changing times are behind the company's decision to suspend the service. "AIM tapped into new digital technologies and ignited a cultural shift, but the way in which we communicate with each other has profoundly changed."

In March, AIM announced that the service would no longer be accessible via third-party apps, stocking speculation of a shutdown.