whimsy
. In the 1990s to early 2000s, the internet was teeming with
creativity. Commonly referred to as the "Wild West" of the internet,
the web was dominated by personal blogs and niche websites. The
internet at this time wasn't ruled by massive companies monetizing
traffic, it was a spectacle of human expression; a beautifully unique
medium of creativity.
The Golden Age of The Internet
Yearning for a time I only got a glimpse of
Preface
If you've ever gotten to know me, you will quickly see how much
appreciation I have for media and tech from the early 2000s. I collect
CD's to play in my 2008 Mercedes, burn mixtapes for my friends,
swapped my smart watch for an old school CASIO, and absolutely adore
the stylistic choices of the era. I could go on and on about this but
I'll save that for another blog post. This post is dedicated to one
specific part of that era which I see as the
Golden Age
of the internet, a period where I was fortunate enough to catch the
tail end of but was not old enough to fully enjoy.
The Proverbial
Golden Age
If I had one word to capture the age in question, it would be
A World Wide Community
All creative mediums deserve to be shared, and the internet was no exception.
Before the rise of search engines, the internet was largely built upon community.
Websites had chat rooms, friends would link each other's blogs, site's would
be made just to share information; the goal was nothing more than human connection.
One great example of the community driven nature of the internet at this time was the surge of
Thankfully, a project called restorativland has worked to preserve this rich internet history by creating an archival gallery of GeoCities which you can now explore here.
One great example of the community driven nature of the internet at this time was the surge of
GeoCities,
a free web hosting service where users could create websites that were organized
like different cities and neighborhoods based on subject matter. You could spend hours getting
lost "exploring the world (wide web)" and seeing all the unique forms of expression one
could make for their personal site.
Kylie's Home-Dog page was the most visited GeoCities website. Last
modified: 2002-10-08 02:22; this page garnered 84,059 reactions.
Divorced Dads Page was last modified: 1997-08-11 18:13; this page garnered
10,556 reactions. You can find an archive version here
Thankfully, a project called restorativland has worked to preserve this rich internet history by creating an archival gallery of GeoCities which you can now explore here.
The State of The Internet Today
This now leads into the depressing state of the Internet today. I would describe
the modern internet as
Within the field of computer science, I've noticed a pattern where people who are incredible developers in their respective fields, will have the most generic AI-generated portfolio website simply to check a box that they have one; And I don't blame them. With big corporations and social media controlling the flow of information online, there is no motivation to make yourself a
soulless
. Every
website has the same scrubbed down look and feel, the same .3s animation on every element,
the same soft blue color palette. There is hardly any expression anywhere
to be found.
Within the field of computer science, I've noticed a pattern where people who are incredible developers in their respective fields, will have the most generic AI-generated portfolio website simply to check a box that they have one; And I don't blame them. With big corporations and social media controlling the flow of information online, there is no motivation to make yourself a
home
, especially when we no longer own
the land
.
A Portfolio With No Soul
A website generated by Claude in one minute. This is probably
what this website would look like if I had no love for the game.
It's disheartening to see. In a world full of chaos and confusion,
having a little corner of the internet you can carve out as your own
carries so much weight. The absolute control corporations have on the media,
as well as the LinkedIn-ification
of everything we put out in the industry has snuffed out one of the most
unique and joyous forms of expression and connection in the modern age.
Conclusion
This appreciation for what the internet used to be is what drives me
to continue to put out quality on this personal blog. While my personal
website isn't as whimsical as I'd like it to be (mostly because
I also use it as my professional portfolio), I make sure that my
personality still shows through in every page; and although,
not many people may ever read my words, there's something inherently
poetic about screaming out into the void, in spite of knowing no one will reply.
If you feel the same way I do, a large group of likeminded individuals have come together to revive this internet culture through NeoCities.
In the spirit of the topic, I've whipped up a few buttons for some of my friend's websites in the classic style :)
If you feel the same way I do, a large group of likeminded individuals have come together to revive this internet culture through NeoCities.
In the spirit of the topic, I've whipped up a few buttons for some of my friend's websites in the classic style :)