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Drift Net > digital culture Lovelorn Take AIM (America Online Instant Messenger)
Is AOL's Love.com inappropriate?The instant you sign on to America Online Instant Messenger (AIM), the AIM.com window pops up. Recently, it has been delivering less and less of its traditional pop culture content and more and more opportunities to find love online. Around half of the windows' content in some way pertains to the Love.com personals site. A picture of a pretty girl or guy often fills the main portion of the screen and poses a question such as “Does she look like Britney Spears?” Another portion of the window might ask you to "rate-a-buddy," prompting you with sexy lines like: "Is he hot?" or "She’s a tomboy." Aside from the ethical issues raised by this beauty contest scheme, the real question is: should AOL be heavily promoting online hook-ups through a messaging system widely used by preteens and teenagers? Whether you are looking for a date, a serious relationship, or just a little IM flirting, Love.com claims to offer it all. Their tactics for success come in five easy steps: download AIM, enhance profile, add a photo, create hotlist, and send an IM. Creating a profile and registration is free, so any 10-year-old boy on AOL, chatting with a buddy, could potentially click on one of AOL today’s various links offering “love online.” A single click is all it takes to meet 25-year-old Lana from Henderson, KY, who is “fun to be around” and “easy to get along with.” Or maybe a "tween" girl would be tempted by AOL Today’s flirtatious come-on and end up meeting Knip, a New Yorker, who according to his profile “likes to mix things up." Obviously, AIM provides AOL a huge base for marketing Love.com. AIM is the largest and most active instant messaging community in the world. However, the bottom line is there are more than bored office workers and sexually frustrated 20-somethings online; thus, AOL should reconsider its decision to broadcast its lusty, flirtatious personals site on a medium used by such a diverse audience. RELATED LINKS: America Online Inc. Announces New Love.com Personals Service AOL Looks to Love for Revenue AOL Weds IM, Dating in Love.com |
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| Recent comments by Bill Gates have stirred up a small backlash among copyright reformists |
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 08.21.2004 - 4:06 pm EDT"Roshan shares a personal anecdote about P2P software"
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