Image Source: Hulu
Synopsis:
Maya and Anna get their very first AIM screennames and their social world opens up. Maybe too much.
This episode was an instant flashback for me, and had me reminiscing about my days using AIM. This was one of the programs that I grew up with, and catapulted me into the beginnings of social media. This was a game changer in terms of connecting with people, but like with everything else, you had to use it wisely.
Instantly, you are transported back to when dial-up was a thing. Hearing the dialing telephone, and the weird sounds of the computer connecting to the internet, made me think back to the beginnings of the internet. It was sooo slow and computers back then, made so much sound. Anna and Maya connect to the internet, and create their usernames for AIM. Of course Anna’s username involves the Spice Girls, and when she logs on, she starts adding her buddies. Man, that was one of the fun parts for me. Adding in all your friends, and seeing if they were online. Also, we were reminded of the great going away message. Everyone always tricked out their going away message. Either with quotes, song lyrics, or drawing pictures creatively with whatever keyboard symbols they could use. Also, who couldn’t forget that you could change the colors of your background and font. We see on Brendan’s going away message, that he used a Sugar Ray lyric. Later on, Anna and Maya discover the chat rooms, and decide to see what was going on in the hot people of Franklin County chat room. They soon discover that chat rooms might be a bad place, because some of them are used for hooking up, and freak out when a guy asks to see a picture of them.
Later that night, Maya can’t control her urge to go back on AIM (which I know the feeling), and returns to the Franklin County chat room. She meets a guy named FlyMiamiBro22 and falls in love with him. They find out that they have a lot in common, and especially love dunes. This part had me bursting out laughing, because this FlyMiami guy thought everything was hot, and as soon as Maya said that she liked dunes, he agreed. What a weird common interest to have. And that’s what made her fall in love with him. In Anna land, Brendan is officially her boyfriend, and he decided to give her a mixed CD. Oh, the days of the mixed CD. During that time, it was the coolest thing ever, because besides listening to your favorite songs on your computer, you could actually burn all your favorite songs onto one CD and not have to switch them out! It was the Stone Age iPod. But back to Maya. She decides to share a picture with FlyMiami, and after all the pictures Anna took of her, they just decide to send him her hand. Totally not sexy at all. And I love that they freak out over just sending a picture of a hand. Of course he responds that it’s hot, which is so funny. That instantly makes Maya want to meet him, and in that moment, I’m totally on Anna’s side, because she says that it’s a bad idea. That’s what can get a little scary about things like AIM. This is when cat fishing started coming into play. You could send each other pictures, but whose to say that those pictures were legit. And who knows who you are really talking to. This is what let us to shows such as To Catch a Predator. But anyways, they decide to meet at a bowling alley, and unfortunately, FlyMiami was a no show. Even though the episode seemed to end on a low note, it quickly turned upside down, because we learn that FlyMiami is Sam! I gotta say, even though Sam can be super perverted, I love that he’s one of the only people, that truly cares about Maya, besides Anna. And I liked that we saw that those two could really get along and had a lot in common, even though Maya didn’t even know. I just hope one day, Sam tells Maya his true feelings. Maya really needs a win.
