The idea of studying the history of the internet as a form of archeology seems perverse at first, until you realise that so many of the servers and systems that once housed the earliest websites have long since been buried in anonymous landfill sites, essentially lost to us forever. It’s a crying shame when you consider how modern culture might’ve developed had it not had the internet prodding, poking and spreading it further and wider than preceding generations could ever have imagined.
For anyone whose pulse accelerates in the presence of digital technology, the ‘Digital Archaeology’ exhibit at Story Worldwide (November 8-11) as part of this year’s Internet Week Europe ought to come with a health warning. The show, staged by Story Worldwide, features ten websites that changed our world, each displayed using the hardware that original users would have experienced them on. The selected sites include The Project (the world’s first ever website, no less), Word.com (one of the earliest e-zines) and the groundbreaking promotional site for the movie ‘Requiem for a Dream’ – nostalgic stuff indeed.