The phrase was recorded by voice actor Elwood Edwards for America Online, where it became the signature alert for a new email during the dial-up era of the 1990s. As AOL grew into one of the largest early internet providers, the sound became instantly familiar to millions of users. It gained a second life through the 1998 film You've Got Mail and later through online nostalgia, memes and retro tech videos, where it now works as shorthand for an incoming message and for the early days of the internet.