The death of the chat room

Mar 10, 2008 - 22:34 PM PST

Does anyone else miss when you could actually go to a chat room and find new people to talk to? When did that just stop happening? I tried using Yahoo! messenger chat a few times lately and it's absurd how the chat rooms are filled with sex spammers. I just want to meet someone from the same area for a chat that I don't have to wait a week to initiate through blogging, and instead I have to see a million notes about how angeleyez3.1415 wants me to see her naked on her webcam.

I met so many friends from chat rooms across the country, a few that I still keep in touch with years later. When did "chat room" become a euphemism for "space for sex ads"? I use AOL IM and I don't even know how to use those chat rooms anymore, or are they just for AOL users? Either way I wouldn't bother at this point.

I hate you, instant messaging. Oh, I hate you, and I hate you good.