Unlike an HTML website where you can right click on the background and select “View Page Source” to review every creative decision, what we see on social media is powered by vastly complex “black box” algorithms.  For New Yorker contributing editor Kyle Chayka, the appeal of the early-internet aesthetic is its contrast with the “repetitive... See more

But it’s not just about authorship and intent. In his newsletter, Chayka says the spirit of these sites was far more collaborative and community-minded: “what I miss most of all about the earlier internet is the sense that I was connecting to a coherent community, a group of people who, even if I didn’t know them IRL, I knew.”

cultural tastes may be shifting towards a new demand for authentic, hand-made digital experiences

One of things that’s so exciting about ghost signs is that they recall a time of professional artisans deeply interwoven with everyday culture and society. Many values of the early years of the internet, including openness, creativity, and connection, are deeply appealing now.

Many values of the early years of the internet, including openness, creativity, and connection, are deeply appealing now.