Aol was used as a simple social network. Checking people's statuses was common practice back in the day. As was changing it. Same with your away message. Also b

Aol was used as a simple social network. Checking people's statuses was common practice back in the day. As was changing it. Same with your away message. Also being able to see idled people was helpful. None of these features are available or used much in modern mobile messaging. Not sure if WhatsApp status messages (not their story feature) is actively used.