Digital Cargo Cult: How Zoomers Ruined Old Internet Nostalgia
16 days ago
- #decentralization
- #old-internet
- #nostalgia
- Zoomers are obsessed with the aesthetics of the old internet (e.g., Fruitiger Aero, Y2K) but miss its core principles.
- The old internet was valued for decentralization, technical competence, privacy, and resistance to corporate control.
- Modern 'old internet' enthusiasts rely on corporate platforms like Discord and Reddit while rejecting true decentralized tools like XMPP and IRC.
- This behavior mirrors cargo cults—copying surface-level aesthetics without understanding underlying systems.
- Many zoomers inherit memes and culture from 4chan but lack the ethos of independence and self-hosting that created them.
- The real old internet was about building, learning, and maintaining independent services—not just visual nostalgia.
- Tools for decentralization (XMPP, IRC, self-hosting) still exist but require effort and technical knowledge.
- False nostalgia for corporate aesthetics overshadows the true spirit of the old internet.
- To honor the old internet, one must embrace its principles—not just its looks.