ICQ was one of the first user services that enabled the exchange of instant messages and the transfer of files between Internet users. It was launched in 1996 by the Israeli company Mirabilis, and its name referred to the phrase ” I’m looking for you » (“ looking for you “). Acquired in 1998 by AOL for nearly $400 million during the first Internet boom, ICQ quickly became one of the leading instant messaging services.
Its success lies mainly in the ability to chat with strangers, share files, but also its fun features such as the famous little red flower to indicate an offline contact, flashing red and green for a contact that is currently connected and green to indicate someone’s online presence or a recognizable melody bells to announce a new message (those over the age of 20 will remember the famous and very joyful ” Ah-oh! “). ICQ also popularized the first virtual “friend lists”. He tried to come back in 2021, with a new version of ICQ, but without much success, because the competition was already very strong.
It is therefore the last of the Mohicans to disappear, following its competitors MSN Messenger in 2014, AOL Instant Messenger (AIM) in 2017, and Yahoo! Messenger in 2018.
Despite his decline before arrival SkypeWhat’s up, Telegram, Signal or Facebook Messenger, the application left its mark on an entire generation of Internet users.