➤ As you might have already read...
"PhantasmagoriaOnline" is my very own personal website mainly dedicated to sharing my drawings, loose ideas, and psychotic ramblings such as this one. All for the sake of getting something done during my summer break, although with time it's become a little bigger than that.
I've become increasingly tired of what the Internet has turned into as of recent years, and with the continuous shoehorning of AI and privacy violating ideas such as ID verification into seemingly every service available it's just been getting progressively worse...
It's almost hard to remember a time back when browsing the Internet felt like an event.
I mean, do you remember the last time you ventured into something deeper than the usual social media sites everyone frequents?
Making sure that YouTube tab is open all day, reading a Reddit thread with a solution or watching porn/arguing on Twitter is as close as it gets to browsing the Internet nowadays.
The main Windows 7 aesthetic I adopted for the site aims to revive some of the simplicity, fun, and wonder the old Internet used to evoke.
No, I'm not really using Chrome... Huh? Accuracy?
There's something so incredibly mesmerizing about the 'Aero' look that can't all be boiled down to nostalgia.
I've gone through great lengths to try and replicate the look and feel on my own machine. Modifying all sorts of assets, downloading all sorts of dubious registry files and trying out new mods until I landed on Classic7 (formerly Reunion7).
A Windows mod based off 10's LTSC that reignited a spark that was missing for so many years when it came to computers.
Having my computer actually BE, or at the very least, FEEL like my own made me realize just how good we seemingly had it before all this technology shifted focus onto becoming a cesspool of corporate enshittification and mass surveilance.
In the same vein I aimed to replicate those looks on my computer, I also wanted to try my hand at what a modern attempt at Web 2.0 Gloss would look like in the modern day.
Despite the page being overtly vulgar in some places and terribly coded in most, I feel like I can say I did a pretty okay job looks wise.
Nowadays, I can't help but feel a little embarrassed by the "Frutiger Aero" aesthetic, mostly due to its horrid flanderization... It has turned a once sincere attempt at making technology feel optimistic, tactile, and accessible into a taxidermied amalgamation that falls better within the category of a Pinterest aesthetic.
Not to say people who enjoy what others have dubbed "Neo Aero" are braindead, they're obviously in their right to enjoy the aesthetic in whichever way they prefer, but it's become so overblown and misinterpreted to the point it's become a bit of a parody.
Can you believe there are still people being born at all...?
Ummm anyway...
As we've entered the era in which CEO's and governments have become comfortable with blurting out their degenerate speech and proceeding with the 'World End Escenario' I dreaded so much, I can't help but think of this site as my one last tribute to the Internet as I once knew it even if it does sound a bit cheesy...
It's quite sad to think I won't be able to call some fat cunt a fat cunt anonymously, pirate as many games and albums as I want, or browse through all the moe art imaginable without having to give my identity up for the sake of... nothing really?
Just try and think of all the ways in which you've used, currently use, and maybe even completely depended on the Internet.
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Most of us grew up in this "Information Era" and know the inner workings of this second home like no parliament or politician could ever try to understand. There are hundreds upon hundreds of cultures and communities, millions of artists, and billions of users who are merely enjoying (or trying to enjoy) one of humanity's greatest achievements.
Sometimes it's hard to think of myself as an enthusiast when I've done everything in my power to avoid both the Internet, AND technology altogether due to its almost symbiotic association with mass-surveilance, censorship, and newly AI-enabled cyber-warfare.
Of course, this isn't really the end.
Most users will just adopt these new measures and buy into the "It's for your own good" or "It's for the safety of our children!" narrative. Are you going to end up as one of those?
Out of necessity, we probably all will whether we want to or not.
There's still a lot to enjoy and learn from the modern net, obviously. Even if it's getting harder and harder seeing as over 50% of internet traffic is bots nowadays.
There's a reason people have been turning to de-googling and straight-up Linux.
Being paranoid does kinda pay off and the whole journey is quite fun.
It's never too late to get started on privacy, really.
Realistically, there's nothing much to do but to watch what happens, I suppose.
It's all in the hands of Big Tech™, but that doesn't mean we should roll over and die.
The sole fact that you're browsing Neocities means you care at least a little, right?
I'd recommend taking a step back and reflecting upon just how refreshing and fun computers could truly be! Not to be part of some bigger community (is there even a community for this sort of thing...?), but to try something new and look back on these seemingly obligatory tools as something more than just "The YouTube Devices".
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I dedicate this website to all who have longed for the lost wonder of the Internet,
to its freedom and anonimity, and to all the amazing creators who have inspired, and helped me shape PhantasmagoriaOnline as you see it now.
Thanks for Reading...
-Signed, Me.
