Tag: digital identity

A nostalgic dive into the colorful, sometimes garish world of Windows Media Player skins - how they let users declare identity through interface, why that freedom faded, and what we lost when app UIs became identical.

AOL Instant Messenger didn't just let people chat - it taught an entire generation how to manage presence, curate identity, and expect instant attention. This post traces AIM’s features (away messages, buddy lists, screen names) and shows how they seeded the behaviors and UX patterns of modern social platforms.