That you are picking 2002 as a start kind of highlights the exceptional nature of that time. ICQ was already dead. AOL, Prodigy, Compuserve, local BBSs. They

That you are picking 2002 as a start kind of highlights the exceptional nature of that time. ICQ was already dead. AOL, Prodigy, Compuserve, local BBSs. They were all dying in that time. Or dead. Don't get me wrong, there have been good interops. But there are more examples of otherwise. With early 2000s standing at a strong showing of things starting to work well.