From ICQ to AIM to WhatsApp: The Rise and Fall of Instant Messenger Apps (Infographic) IM apps have 4ever altered how we communicate. Countless messaging tools have come and gone in the 18 years since they first debuted. Which ones will stand the test of time?

By Kim Lachance Shandrow • Nov 10, 2014

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BION (believe it or not), instant messengers (IMs) have been around for nearly two decades already. AAMOF (as a matter of fact), the very first IM tool -- a chat app for PCs -- debuted in 1996. Cue The Wayback Machine: It was called ICQ, short for I Seek You.

IM apps have come a long way since, giving rise to a whole new digital convo shorthand, endless TMIs, LOLs and LMAOs included. The the following infographic, care of WhoIsHostingThis.com, briefly tracks the history of IM services.

From the genre's humble "buddy list" beginnings to today's top trending mobile messaging apps, like Skype and WhatsApp, it's been a bit of a bumpy ride. (Oddly, there's no mention of Kik. WTH?)

Take a trip down IM memory lane below.

Click to Enlarge+

From ICQ to AIM to WhatsApp: The Rise and Fall of Instant Messenger Apps (Infographic)

Kim Lachance Shandrow

Former West Coast Editor

Kim Lachance Shandrow is the former West Coast editor at Entrepreneur.com. Previously, she was a commerce columnist at Los Angeles CityBeat, a news producer at MSNBC and KNBC in Los Angeles and a frequent contributor to the Los Angeles Times. She has also written for Government Technology magazine, LA Yoga magazine, the Lowell Sun newspaper, HealthCentral.com, PsychCentral.com and the former U.S. Surgeon General, Dr. C. Everett Coop. Follow her on Twitter at @Lashandrow. You can also follow her on Facebook here.

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