'Whole slews of the internet just defunct': Internet veterans bemoan loss of online third spaces, fun websites

The internet has changed so much in the short time it's existed that it's hard to remember that it wasn't always like this. The internet, to me, used to be a place where I would play fun dress up games, talk to other kids on Club Penguin, research fairies on fairy websites, and update my status on AIM. It felt like a unique, discrete place. It was somewhere to go after school. It felt vast and untapped but also small and manageable. There was something beautifully cozy about it. 

That, of course, is also the nostalgia talking. I was a kid, so of course I approached the internet with innocence. But there's something to be said for the loss of those kinds of spaces online. And other folks seem to feel the same way. Of course, as an editor at one of the internet's most enduring silly websites, I must also plant a flag and say we're still here! Stupid websites forever. 

Author image for JR Atkinson JR Atkinson
Advertisement

Stay entertained and up to date by following us on Facebook and Instagram!

Tags

chatrooms twitter messageboards Twitter Thread internet nostalgia websites Internet phenomena nostalgic the internet third spaces The Internet IRL twitter discourse internet culture millennial-nostalgia
Scroll Down For The Next Article

Also From Memebase

Funniest Cat Memes for Feline Fanatics (January 31, 2024)

Funniest Cat Memes for Feline Fanatics (January 31, 2024)

Trending Now

16-year-old mom stops her family from seeing her baby after her 30-year-old sister took her 4-month-old to the beach without applying sunscreen: 'My parents said I was too young to know what's best'

16-year-old mom stops her family from seeing her baby after her 30-year-old sister took her 4-month-old to the beach without applying sunscreen: 'My parents said I was too young to know what's best'

01
60-year-old grandma plans vacation for herself while 12 and 10-year-old grandchildren are in school, daughter chews her out for not being available to babysit: 'She should not be assumptive'

60-year-old grandma plans vacation for herself while 12 and 10-year-old grandchildren are in school, daughter chews her out for not being available to babysit: 'She should not be assumptive'

02
Greedy 37-year-old son secretly dips into mother's $700k inheritance after she gave him a house, mother cuts him out of the inheritance entirely as a result: ‘He kept using his children as an excuse’

Greedy 37-year-old son secretly dips into mother's $700k inheritance after she gave him a house, mother cuts him out of the inheritance entirely as a result: ‘He kept using his children as an excuse’

03
Mom demands 16-year-old take care of his 2 half-siblings and 5 step-siblings and share a room with 3 of them, gets angry when he decides to move in with his dad instead: 'She told me now I was being extra selfish'

Mom demands 16-year-old take care of his 2 half-siblings and 5 step-siblings and share a room with 3 of them, gets angry when he decides to move in with his dad instead: 'She told me now I was being extra selfish'

04
22-year-old daughter refuses to give stepmom, formerly her father's affair partner, a ticket to her college graduation because she only wants those ‘important’ to her to attend: ‘It was my graduation and I was going to be selfish about it’

22-year-old daughter refuses to give stepmom, formerly her father's affair partner, a ticket to her college graduation because she only wants those ‘important’ to her to attend: ‘It was my graduation and I was going to be selfish about it’

05
Southern California father, tired of 24-year-old college dropout barista daughter’s requests for money, insists on asking about her return to school every time: ‘She is wasting the opportunity to have an easier path we worked so hard to provide for her’

Southern California father, tired of 24-year-old college dropout barista daughter’s requests for money, insists on asking about her return to school every time: ‘She is wasting the opportunity to have an easier path we worked so hard to provide for her’

06
Advertisement