JA Westenberg
I miss the internet
I know this is going to make me sound old – but I miss the internet.
The real internet. The one we used to have. Before it all got so much less – and somehow so much more – complicated.
I went online for the first time around 2001. The 90s had ended, and the world was coming online while I was coming out of my shell and becoming more self-aware.
JA Westenberg
Back then, the internet felt like a vast frontier, a boundless expanse waiting to be discovered. You didn't so much surf the web as explore it, encountering unknown territories and unexpected gems. Websites were less about utility and more about passion. Amateur webmasters crafted their domains as personal expressions, little slices of their world that they invited you into.
Social media had not yet standardized our online experiences, and content wasn't algorithmically manicured.
JA Westenberg
The internet felt, somehow, more human, more real. A hodgepodge of self-expression, creativity, and human connection, punctuated by amusingly tacky GeoCities animations and early memes.
Crucially, the internet was a place of self-discovery. It was where you could stumble upon different worldviews, confront your prejudices, engage with others who were different from you – and in doing so, learn more about yourself.
JA Westenberg
I discovered myself – the version of myself that could exist beyond the boundaries of my family, my church life, and my strictly heteronormative world – in endless threads on Absolutepunk.net. It was a place where I could talk about music, my passions, who I was, and who I wanted to be.
I miss that internet.
The one that existed before terms of service. The one that existed before social graphs.
JA Westenberg
The one where being a User meant having a degree of respect, not being treated like a retention/churn statistic.
The internet I pine for wasn't perfect – far from it. But its imperfections felt like the quirks of a beloved friend. The slow, warbling dial-up connection tones, the thrill of joining a new forum, the anticipation as you waited for a page to load, and the luxury of anonymity were all part of the charm.
Futurist Jim Carroll
@Daojoan you should have been around in 1985
morl0ck
@Daojoan I feel you. Back then there was lots of text, because you know Information. And now it's all the same blingy boring design, lots of pictures, almost no text. And everybody is using it from their pocket devices but know basically nothing about the net or computers in general. I yearn for the old times
🎓 Doc Freemo :jpf: 🇳🇱
I miss the internet too. I wish the internet still existed.
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