The Downfall Of The AOL APP And Website (DEEP-DIVE) Capitalism, Online Predators, AOL Music Sessions, AOL Interviews, Class Action Lawsuits, Worker Exploitation, & True Crime, ETC

........The Downfall Of The AOL APP And Website (DEEP-DIVE) Capitalism, Online Predators, AOL Music Sessions, AOL Interviews, Class Action Lawsuits, Worker Exploitation, & True Crime, ETC!!!!!!!! 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Im53wtfilQs 

The Downfall Of The AOL Website (DEEP-DIVE) Capitalism & True Crime... Today I talk about the decline of the AOL Website, I talk about, AOL was a major internet service provider that developed popular early social features, most notably the instant messaging service AOL Instant Messenger and chat rooms. While not a single website in the modern sense, it was an online service and a precursor to social media, featuring services like user profiles, buddy lists, and online forums that facilitated social interaction for millions before the rise of platforms like Facebook. Steve Case and Jim Kimsey co-founded AOL. It allowed users to have one on one, real-time text conversations, maintain lists of online friends, AOL's platform hosted a variety of online communities through chat rooms and forums where users could interact with others who shared their interests. AOL became a pop culture icon by making the internet accessible to the masses with its user-friendly interface, extensive marketing with free trial CDs, and features like the iconic "You've Got Mail" notification The distinct "You've Got Mail" alert became one of the most recognizable sounds of the time, and its cultural impact was so great it inspired a 1998 romantic comedy of the same name. For many Americans, their first experience with the internet was through AOL, making the service practically synonymous with the internet itself for a generation. 

Music artists and Celebrity Engagement made impact on the website, AOL let music artists perform their songs as a key part of its strategy to attract a larger audience, promote its online music services, and generate revenue through advertising and subscription models. These performances, part of a program called AOL Sessions, served as a powerful promotional tool for both the artists and the online giant. The exclusive, "intimate" performances and interviews (often acoustic or stripped-down) were unique content designed to attract a vast audience of music fans and keep them on the AOL platform for longer periods. Lady Gaga performed songs for AOL live as part of their "AOL Sessions" series in March 2009 At the time and Numerous other singers have performed on AOL Sessions, including major artists like, Akon, Avril Lavigne, Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, Madonna, Coldplay, Rihanna, as well as rock bands such as Fall Out Boy and blink-182.

AOL struggled to compete with emerging online services like social media platforms like Facebook and search engines like google which offered new and more engaging online experiences, OL's proprietary, closed system was outpaced by the open, browser-based internet. While AOL users were limited to AOL's own content, Facebook and Google offered access to the entire World Wide Web. AOL missed opportunities to pivot and develop new products and services as the market shifted. For example, it missed the chance to become an "HBO of the web" by not partnering with cable and phone companies. The 2000 merger with Time Warner was a failure that hindered AOL's ability to adapt to the new digital landscape. a former AOL software engineer pleaded guilty to stealing 92 million email addresses and screen names and selling them to spammers, reports NBC News. The theft, which authorities say he executed using another employee's access code, was estimated to have cost AOL at least $400,000, according to NBC News. AOL did have a significant problem with online predators, particularly in its popular chat rooms The NBC show Dateline NBC's "To Catch a Predator" series famously used decoys in AOL chat rooms to get men attempting to meet teens and AOL also faced lawsuits alleging false advertising regarding the safety of its platform One notable case involved an AOL employee who was hired to monitor the under 18 chat rooms but instead used his position to groom a teen girl online, 

Other issues the social media website had were, For years, AOL relied on thousands of "Community Leaders" or "guides" to moderate chat rooms, manage message boards, and provide online help. These individuals were not paid a wage but received compensation in the form of free AOL service (worth up to hundreds of dollars per month in the hourly-rate era), which became nearly worthless when AOL switched to flat-rate pricing. A class-action lawsuit was filed, alleging this violated the Fair Labor Standards Act. AOL eventually settled the lawsuit in 2010 for $15 million, ETC!!!