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ICQ was a pioneering instant messaging program that stood for "I Seek You." Developed in 1996, it was a precursor to modern social media that allowed users to communicate in real-time with text, file transfers, and other features. It was one of the earliest and most popular instant messengers before the rise of services like WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger.

"I Seek You": The name is an approximate abbreviation of the phrase "I Seek You".

Pioneering instant messaging: ICQ helped kick off the instant messaging (IM) phenomenon in the 1990s.

Key features: It allowed users to send instant messages, transfer files, participate in group chats, and use features like alerts that notified you when a contact came online.

Unique user number: Each user was assigned a unique, eight-digit ICQ number to identify them.

Evolution: While it once had hundreds of millions of users, its popularity waned with the rise of competing services, and the client officially shut down in 2024.