Feeling Nostalgic?
The Internet used to be fun, exciting, and full of adventure. Users never knew what they would find or what websites they would stumble upon. I remember looking up "video games" on my family computer and finding all sorts of crappy, but fun, flash games made by hobbyists that didn't care to advertise or promote their websites. Unfortunately, the adventurous element of the Internet has since gone downhill as our search engines become increasingly algorithmic.
Ironically, our desire to return to the playful simplicity of the early web has been commodified, making us long for it even more. Retro technology is seeing a resurgence with products such as the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip, minimalist music players, Tamagotchi revivals, and photo apps that sell nostalgia and a "digital detox" aesthetic. However, nostalgia for the Internet represents something deeper, a longing for freedom, creativity, and the joyful unpredictability of early digital life.
This ever-present yearning is strong for Gen Z, who have grown up alongside rapid technological change. Author Joshua Krook, a visiting academic at the University of Southampton, writes, "Nostalgia for the early Internet revolves around this serendipity and a backlash against the newly algorithmic (and therefore more predictable) feeds" (Krook 5). The automation of social media, while convenient, has also reduced our sense of agency, making nostalgia feel like a form of resistance, whether conscious or subconscious.
There are many reasons why our community has such strong nostalgia for the early 2000s. It was a time of simplicity before the Trump administration, before the AI boom, before ultra-targeted advertising, and before we could concern ourselves with politics because we were too young to even vote. We want to play dress up and escape our reality, since our reality is one where conservative politics and capitalism are threatening our existence. Of course, discrimination against marginalized communities in the early 2000s was higher than it is in 2025, but as children it was less apparent. Researcher Manuel Menke, PhD, writes in Seeking Comfort in Past Media: Modeling Media Nostalgia as a Way of Coping With Media Change, "Nostalgia adds a wistful flavor to memories and allows coping with difficult situations in the present, such as a crisis of identity, loneliness, illness, or the loss of social relations by finding comfort in the past" (Menke 5).
In queer underground spaces, nostalgia functions similarly. Event visuals, themes, and music hone in on the warmth of the early-2000s Internet culture – not to sell tickets, but to create an atmosphere where attendees can escape daily pressures, connect with others, and celebrate unique identities. These parties are a safe, playful, and immersive space to reclaim that sense of discovery, expression, and joy.