The Futile Path to Destruction

This article makes me laugh. Its so obvious that AOL is doomed. Let's examine, in my opinion, why AOL is on its way out:

First, AOL came about at the dawn of the internet browsing age, when connecting to the internet and using E-mail was a chore so large, nobody would dare try anything else. Now we have people checking E-mail on their watches, and surfing the web on their mobile phones. If they can do that without much help, then I'm afraid that most people have no real need for internet access and E-mail assistance from AOL

Second, notice that I said, "most people". There still are a chunk of people out there who know nothing about the internet and E-mail. I call them Senior Citizens. Half of them don't want anything to do with a computer, the other half will only use AOL because its easy, and they like everything done for them without hassle. Well, we all know that old people will eventually die. When they do, I'm pretty sure that most of AOL's market will die with them.

Lastly, we have the nontechnical fan base. These are your average "I don't know or care how it works" computer users. These kinds of people will probably always be around, but as our generations learn at a quicker pace, the number of these types of users will steadily decline. Let's face it, even most computer experts agree that their teenage son knows more about computers than they do these days. Once those Generations grow up and start taking over, AOL will be doomed.

Why do I not like AOL? Mainly because their business strategy to charge extremely high prices for slower-than-my-grandma dial-up service is absurd. Also the fact that their software is designed to infiltrate your computer and never leave again, and their subscription cancellation staff does nothing more than harass you when you try to cancel. Add to that the fact that their dumbed-down approach to the internet is keeping millions in the dark about how to easily connect to the internet on their own, and I think I've made my point. AOL STINKS!!!