People share long forgotten internet trends on Reddit

As an elder millennial, I keep in mind when the web was utterly uncharted territory. So many new issues to find and check out, with seemingly zero guidelines. The World Huge Net actually was the Wild Wild West, and we have been its courageous web explorers.

With the ferocious pace at which data travels by social media at this time, we’ve change into accustomed to web developments merely coming and going. A lot in order that we’ve in all probability forgotten just a few gems that have been as soon as thought of the “it” factor.

Bear in mind the unparalleled joys of constructing your Neopet blissful? Or the moment vanity increase you’d get upon seeing that web site hit counter go up on the underside nook of your digital masterpiece? (Bear in mind, we didn’t have “likes” to lean on throughout this darkish interval.) These are just some relics of a not-so-distant previous—as soon as cherished, however now buried in antiquity.

One Reddit person lately requested: “What’s one thing the web was loopy about however is now forgotten?” and other people’s solutions have been a wild nostalgia experience. Use this record for a stroll down reminiscence lane, or to confound a Gen Z buddy. Both approach, it’s a little bit of idle enjoyable—one thing the web will at all times be an excellent supply for.

With out additional ado, listed below are 9 of the weirdest web developments nobody remembers:

1. Downloading customized cursor results in your laptop

by way of GIPHY

Ah sure, who desires to see a boring arrow transfer round their display once they can faux to wave fairy mud round? Or rainbows, or snowflakes, or bubbles, for that matter. There actually was one thing magically cathartic about animated cursors. Positive they have been riddled with bugs, however typically that’s the value you pay for a bit whimsy, proper?

“I gave my household laptop so many viruses again within the ’00s making an attempt to click on issues with a lightsaber.” –@TW1103

2. Pre-Google serps

One engine to go looking all of them….

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Wow, exhausting to think about a time when googling wasn’t an precise phrase. Consider it or not, children, it was once something goes when trying up obscure film trivia or lengthy misplaced recipes.

Every search engine web site had its personal persona—Alta Vista selected a no frills strategy, Dogpile provided a (by no means humorous) joke of the day, and Ask Jeeves featured a savvy valet primarily based on a personality in a novel collection by P.G. Wodehouse, able to quench all curiosities that got here within the type of a query.

Many of those separate quirks have been fairly revolutionary and, although finally swallowed up by Google’s widespread success, have clearly impressed a lot of its total format. Positive, different serps do nonetheless exist, however I feel we will all agree that Google reigns supreme.

3. AOL On the spot Messenger (AIM)

by way of GIPHY

Hulu’s “PEN15,” which facilities round two center schoolers within the early 2000s, nailed the whole lot about AOL chat rooms with accuracy—from the cringeworthy display names, to the melodramatic away messages, to the obnoxious login sound that had a Pavlovian impact on teenagers, bringing their eyes involuntarily to the display. It’s pure gold.

After all, there are some elements of AIM that is perhaps finest forgotten—primarily the damaging approach wherein youngsters have been simply exploited.

“I used to be 14 however taking part in a 17 12 months previous as a result of 17 was very “grown up” to me, however I didn’t really feel it was sufficient of an age hole for the mislead be uncovered.” –@KayleighJK

“I used to be 13 pretending I used to be 18 on AOL chat rooms. I used to be uncovered to an excessive amount of at a younger age. Think about if I stated my precise age” –@Chickeneggsandlegs

4. Flash video games

early internet games

Bought Flash?

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Flash video games—usually free, tremendous straightforward to play, and usually solely required Adobe Flash. In accordance with Comedian Ebook Assets (CBR), one flash sport specifically known as “Membership Penguin” was so nicely liked that when it shut down in 2017, “1000’s of gamers logged on for the sport’s remaining moments, doing the whole lot they may do in sport earlier than it was gone endlessly.”

5. Good Guestbooks

early internet trends

This was a pleasant one, for certain.

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Fairly simple, and a fairly candy option to join with folks world wide. Guests from throughout may digitally “signal” and go away a private message, normally issues like “Hello I’m so-and-so and I actually loved your web site, was a pleasure to browse.” See now good that was? Not precisely just like the aggressive Yelp critiques we’ve change into accustomed to.

6. GeoCities

geocities

So few pixels, so little time.

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Into science fiction and fantasy? Head on over to “Area51.” Extra of a sports activities fan? Click on on “Colosseum.” Geocities provided digital neighborhoods primarily based on particular pursuits, all on websites crammed with flashy graphics and a few scorching new factor known as GIFs. This was a time when enthusiasm for the web as a community-building and self-expression house was at an all time excessive, even when trying again the execution was a tad rudimentary.

Although the times of Geocities are gone, some remnants of its glory stay, like this.

7. Webrings

retro internet

Within the B.A. (Earlier than Algorithm) period.

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As MIC contributor Brittany Vincent so astutely put it, “Webrings are a forgotten antiquity of the previous, an answer created to resolve an issue that now not exists.” Again when web sites have been each costly and restricted—to not point out serps hadn’t hit their stride—having a bit field on the underside of a web site you have been already on, one that exposed much more magical locations you may go to primarily based on the location you have been at present on…nicely, that was the last word luxurious.

“Oh man, when you stumbled upon* an internet ring that you simply have been taken with it was like gold. Bookmark! To not be confused with StumbleUpon, that was later and likewise magical.” –DanAykroydFanClub

Which brings us to…

8. StumbleUpon

ask reddit

Who is aware of the place you will stumble?

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Again within the day, the web wasn’t such an all-knowing entity feeding off of algorithms. Countless exploring by obscurity was a part of the enjoyable. No higher instance of this exists than Stumble Upon, the place guests would click on a button and land someplace else at full random. It was a sport of web roulette. And it was thrilling.

9. Poking on Fb

early internet trends

Hey…nonetheless right here…

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Typically, web imitates life. This was the case with Fb’s “poke” function, the place customers may click on a button to remind one other person of their existence. Was it relatively pointless? Sure. Was it intrusive? Additionally sure. Regardless, it was all the fad.

Like lots of Fb’s options, “pokes” may disappear within the barrage of notifications, which may lead to lower than very best realizations.

“I had a buddy that poked me and I by no means seen the notification. He died. I now have this unreturned poke as a reminder that I’ll by no means have the ability to poke them again.” –@Klaus0225

It is internet surfin’ time!

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Positive, at this time’s know-how is quicker, extra environment friendly and much reaching, however we’ll at all times have a spot in our hearts for the early web’s wonky attraction. Kind of like these previous yearbook images…

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People share long forgotten internet trends on Reddit