Recently I installed a mod for Firefox called Geckium that makes the browser look more like Google Chrome in its infancy. And that got me wondering, why did I do that? Why are so many people obsessed with how the internet used to look. Now of course the main reason is nostalgia. It reminds me of a time when the internet was new and strange. But for me at least, it goes deeper than that There was an odd ritual to going online since we couldn’t browse it whenever or wherever we wanted. During that time there were many websites and a strong inclination to express yourself and make your own. Since so few people were online during that time compared to now. Clout wasn’t a concept and “going viral” was not seen as a net positive. Absolutely nobody wanted to be like Star Wars Kid. Not to mention having large amounts of traffic coming to your website meant you had to pay large amounts of money to keep it up.
If there was no goal in getting large amounts of numbers or validation from strangers then why do it?
Well, why not?
It was being able to call your part of the internet your own without needing validation from strangers. Doing small things like modifying your web browser, reclaims that sense that the internet is what you make of it. That we aren’t just using a platform. We control and are that platform. My web browser looks different and the world is now my oyster.
Thanks for reading.