Michael Sun

To quote one famous meme, everything happens so much.

All of this means that it's harder to see the things that we actually want to see.

We're losing control.

This is not new.

But what if there was a solution?

What if we could turn back time?

What if we could bring back some of the features that made the early internet so utopian, so lawless, so full of spontaneous connection and random experimental zeal?

Well, we can.

So the first solution is the galaxy brain solution, of course.

It's to repurpose our existing platforms into spaces that feel like the early internet again.

Like for the past couple of years, I've been turning to niche Facebook groups as replacements for the early internet forums of the 2000s.

I know I'm going to sound like the world's oldest Zoomer right now, but back in my day, we had these forums with message boards where you could message people about your specific interests, things like Fall Out Boy and other emo bands, countercultures and various subcultures, PlayStation games, etc., etc., etc.

For the past decade or so, a smorgasbord of Facebook groups have popped up, kind of in their place.

They act very similarly to these forums.

There are groups for public transport stands.

There are groups for architecture heads who just really love stairs.

There are groups for sharing disgusting photos of terrible food.

I mean, there is a group for everyone, okay?

There is a group called Subtle Asian Traits that many of you might have heard of.

And it's literally just a group about being Asian.