Freenet was my first and only taste of the “deep web.” I was honestly a bit afraid to explore it. Not because it is illegal or anything, but because I am always afraid of stumbling into something heinous and abominable.
I do think there is something wildly intriguing about exploring a space outside of mainstream protocals, like walking into a secret library, or an outsider art gallery. Maybe I will discover some revelation provided by a mysterious benefactor unconcerned with broadcasting to the masses.
Oh you pulled the words right out of my mouth. I’m both scared and fascinated with obscure corners of the internet. Its like finding a little house in a forest.
I am old enough to had accessed the internet right as it was becoming mainstream so it was that “old web” people are nostalgic for, yet young enough that I did not understand some of the fucked up shit I saw. I have vague memories of stuff that I frankly will never mention, as well as all the porn my older brother looked at because he was too stupid to clear his browsing history.
Still, I think these things are worth exploring. This fear we have I feel is a reason why large companies were quickly able to take control. People wanted a safe space, a sanitized internet. Now we talk about the good old days of the web like it doesn’t exist anymore.
It does, we just don’t know how to find them anymore, and most people want instant gratification instead of taking the time to explore lovingly crafted websites that often were like mazes and held secrets waiting to be discovered. It is art.
You’re totally right. I’ve been on [email protected] the past few days, its a community focused specifically on finding websites with an oldweb vibe. They’re still there, it just takes effort to find and get away from the modern web.
Freenet was my first and only taste of the “deep web.” I was honestly a bit afraid to explore it. Not because it is illegal or anything, but because I am always afraid of stumbling into something heinous and abominable.
I do think there is something wildly intriguing about exploring a space outside of mainstream protocals, like walking into a secret library, or an outsider art gallery. Maybe I will discover some revelation provided by a mysterious benefactor unconcerned with broadcasting to the masses.
Or just whatever the lame opposite of that is.
Oh you pulled the words right out of my mouth. I’m both scared and fascinated with obscure corners of the internet. Its like finding a little house in a forest.
I am old enough to had accessed the internet right as it was becoming mainstream so it was that “old web” people are nostalgic for, yet young enough that I did not understand some of the fucked up shit I saw. I have vague memories of stuff that I frankly will never mention, as well as all the porn my older brother looked at because he was too stupid to clear his browsing history.
Still, I think these things are worth exploring. This fear we have I feel is a reason why large companies were quickly able to take control. People wanted a safe space, a sanitized internet. Now we talk about the good old days of the web like it doesn’t exist anymore.
It does, we just don’t know how to find them anymore, and most people want instant gratification instead of taking the time to explore lovingly crafted websites that often were like mazes and held secrets waiting to be discovered. It is art.
You’re totally right. I’ve been on [email protected] the past few days, its a community focused specifically on finding websites with an oldweb vibe. They’re still there, it just takes effort to find and get away from the modern web.