I can’t imagine how different my life would’ve been had instant messaging hit the scene while I was a teen. Sure, I discovered online chats in my late teens, but it was no where like what you see today as explained in Hearing Instant messaging reaches out and touches deaf people.
My family discovered Prodigy before I moved away for the first time to Washington, DC. We used the service to email and stay in touch with each other.
I also met Paul online through a bulletin board system (BBS). Back then, I hated to tell people how we met because it felt geeky and embarrassing. Today, it’s no big deal. He moved to Washington, DC about nine months before I could join him. We stayed in touch by chatting as his modem connected with my computer. Unfortunately, my roommate at the time had to have call waiting and we were constantly disconnected. That doesn’t happen with the current tools. We could’ve saved a bundle of bucks on long distance.
I envy the kids today as they have all these tools at their beck and call. But then again, I might’ve not gotten out enough if I had these tools.