late night thoughts about the web, part I - the oldternet

growing up on the internet

It was a strange thing, growing up on the internet. I hesitate to call it just “the internet”, because “the internet” today is such a different beast. Early 2000s internet? Decentralized internet? Would those be more apt? The “oldternet”? Haha. Let me use that one.

side note: was studying Shakespeare like a year ago, and read about how he invented so many words or phrases out of thin air and now they are in our common usage. Knowing that really puts words into perspective. Proper English and grammar and all that. Being a teacher will also give you some more perspective, as you see the constant use of slang and teens accessing different branches of English you didn’t even know of. Privileges of being an “unc”. 6-7.

Maybe that means its okay to just make up your own new words. Hence… the oldternet. Without any quotes. Much like enshittification. Maybe it’ll catch on.

growing up on the oldternet

Ebaumsworld. Newgrounds. Random niche websites for your random niche interests. Forums. God, I loved forums so much. Back when every website on the internet was competing for your eyeballs and interest, and the number of them competing was at least in the 100s, not the single digits that exist today. Back when people used their personal computers for their internet, not just their thousand dollar tiktok machines. Maybe I sound like a bitter old man (the archetype of the “unc” rears its ugly old, wrinkly head), but I genuinely think it used to be better. Not only it, but us as well.

Human beings and human society has been inextricably linked to the internet and its developments. The internet, new or old, is our new version of fire or nuclear power. How we harness the light speed spread of all this information is critical to our evolution as a people, a species, a society.

I can’t help but think that all of this centralization, the big four websites everyone is on, has hurt us fundamentally. I remember a time where I would discover a new website, and look through its archives for weeks. In High School, I actually spent about a month going through Comic Book Artist Paolo Rivera’s blog, post by post, every day. I would watch his videos, read his posts, and draw alongside his processes. I copied his easel setup and everything. My mom probably thought I was nuts, making a cardboard easel out of USPS Express Mail envelopes. There was an ability to be intentional with your exploration. Like the Wikipedia rabbit holes, clicking and opening new tabs, reading and clicking some more. It was mindful.

The YouTube of yore used to have layouts that you would customize. You could make it as simple or as convoluted as you wanted. But it would be yours. YouTube.

It’s just so apparent that we’re in a different place, now. Blame it on the Chinese, blame it on Mark Zuckerberg and the pivot to video, but now we’re mired in algorithmic engagement bait slop rather than any sort of intentionality. It’s no longer, browse Newgrounds to play some games and see some stuff, Imgur to see funny images, CNN to read news. Now you have to hope that the algorithm picks up on the things you liked if you want to see different stuff. All of a sudden, instead of being a human being with a diverse body of interests, you become a data point and you just get a bunch of comedian podcasters talking about how the woke left has gone too far since your demographic is the most susceptible to that kind of stuff. You like a post about KPop Demon Hunters and all of a sudden your algorithm is all fancams and edits of Rumi and… I forget the other names.

At some point we moved over from websites to the so-called “social” media. I only say social media with such disdain because I think the four horsemen (“X” (R.I.P Twitter), TikTok, Instagram, Facebook) have done so much damage to society it might as well be called anti-social media. Right? Right?

All we do is scroll and scroll and scroll and scroll. This new blog exists in part to combat that.

These are strictly personal thoughts, on a strictly personal platform, free from the algorithmic tentacles of the Four Horsemen.

Feel free to email me about ‘em. I will respond in time.