Relics of the Internet

Internet Relics

Here, we catalog the words, phrases, and phenomena that have faded from popular use, but which once held a prominent place in the cultural lexicon of the early internet. Though no longer widely seen, these relics shaped the early days of online discourse and helped build the web we know today.

ASL

Short for "Age, Sex, Location," this was a commonly asked question in early online chat rooms. It was a way for users to introduce themselves and learn basic details about others quickly.

LOLcats

A meme originating from images of cats with captions written in deliberately incorrect English (known as "lolspeak"), often featuring humorous or absurd phrases. "I Can Has Cheezburger?" was one of the most famous websites dedicated to LOLcats.

BRB

Short for "Be Right Back," this was a common phrase used in online chats to signal a brief departure from the conversation. It was often used in early instant messaging platforms.

Neopets

One of the earliest massively multiplayer online games (MMOGs) aimed at children, where users could adopt and care for virtual pets, play games, and decorate their own personal pages. Though still operational, its cultural relevance has greatly diminished.

MySpace

An early social networking site that allowed users to create custom profiles, share music, and connect with friends. It was eventually overshadowed by Facebook but remains an important relic in the history of social media.

Emo

Short for "emotional," it originally referred to a genre of music but eventually became associated with a subculture characterized by angst, dramatic fashion, and introspective social media posts, particularly in the mid-2000s.

Farmville

A social game on Facebook where players could cultivate virtual farms. At its peak, it was one of the most played games on the platform, but its popularity has since waned significantly.

Y2K

The "Year 2000 Problem" was a widespread concern that computer systems would malfunction or crash when the year 2000 arrived. This issue dominated the late 1990s, but was largely addressed before causing significant problems.

GeoCities

A popular web hosting service in the 1990s that allowed users to create personal websites. It was known for its often garish and unpolished design, but it was an early precursor to modern web design culture.

Internet Explorer

Once the dominant web browser, Internet Explorer was widely used for browsing the internet. However, it was criticized for being slow, prone to security vulnerabilities, and incompatible with many modern web standards, leading to its eventual replacement by Microsoft Edge.

Napster

One of the first peer-to-peer file sharing services that allowed users to share and download music. While it revolutionized the music industry, it was eventually shut down due to legal issues with copyright infringement.