After 20 years, Yahoo Messenger is finally shutting down

 

I am being sentimental. Twenty years of service and Yahoo Messenger is shutting down. After the death of Friendster, it is the next casualty of the evolution in messaging platform. The news came as a crashing blow but there was really nothing surprising about it. With the increasing number of Facebook messenger users, it was bound to happen.

The 20-year-old app finally capitulated to the competition and will bid its goodbye to the virtual world of technology on July 17, 2018. It will be a sad farewell to one of the pioneers in this platform which paved way for the improvement of communications of friends and families all over the world. I believe that the rise in popularity of emoticons in Internet forums could be attributed to Yahoo Messenger. After all, who could forget the smiley that used to greet us in opening the app?

It is therefore with a sad heart that I remember the five unforgettable features of Yahoo Messenger. 

1. The BUZZ- The ‘buzz’ button that shakes the window message whenever you press it is on top of the list. There’s this feeling of urgency and excitement whenever you hear that ‘buzz’ sound combined with the moving box. Facebook messenger doesn’t have this and I doubt if it could replicate this YM’s feature.

2. The ‘OPENING SMILEY’- The opening smiley is a welcome respite from a long day of work and you’re trying to get in touch with your friends and family. Well, it becomes a sad emoticon whenever the log in is not successful. Again, current communication platforms do not have this feature.

3. The YAHOO MUSIC- This feature allows you to choose different music by theme or genre. I remember working long hours while listening to jazz and country music. You could even show your contacts what music you were listening to!

4. The STATUS- Long before Facebook asked you ‘what’s on your mind?’, YM already allowed its users to let your contacts know about your day and whether you’re available or not. It also has the option to keep your availability hidden by showing that you’re offline even though you're technically NOT.

5. The Emoticons- Yahoo Messenger has it all. From celebration, daily greetings, to sad emotions. And it definitely deserves a sad emoticon right now.

Yahoo Messenger was my first taste of modern instant communication. It’s a cliché’ but it’s the truth nonetheless that not everything has a happy ending, and not everything has an ending. Some things just kind of dribble away or cut off abruptly. Yahoo Messenger might be joining its virtual friends in Technology heaven but the memories will be left forever in the hearts of its loyal users.