VISUAL TIMELINE — The Internet: What Survived vs What Failed
| 1969–1989 | #ARPANET |
|---|
Protocols > Platforms Resilience > Profit Engineers > Marketers
STATUS: SURVIVED (as principles)
| 1990–1999 | Early Web |
|---|
Email • Usenet • IRC • Personal sites Chronological • Human-scale • Slow trust
STATUS: SURVIVED (email still runs the world)
| 2001 | #Wikipedia |
|---|
#Volunteers • Neutrality • Small donors No ads • No algorithms • No growth mandate
STATUS: SURVIVED (25 years, still default truth layer)
2000–2006 | #Forums / #Blogs / #RSS
-----------|----------------------------------------- User-owned content • Exit without erasure
STATUS: PARTIALLY SURVIVED (RSS, blogs)
| 2006–2012 | Web #2.0 Platforms |
|---|
Centralized identity • VC incentives “Free” funded by surveillance
STATUS: BEGINNING OF FAILURE
2013–2016 | #Algorithmic Feeds
-----------|-----------------------------------------
Engagement > Truth Outrage > Accuracy
STATUS: #DECAY PHASE
| 2017–2022 | #Consolidation |
|---|
#Censorship pressure • #API lock-in #Creators become #dependents
STATUS: ADVANCED FAILURE
| 2023 | #Reddit #API #Revolt |
|---|---|
| Communities reminded they own nothing |
STATUS: STRUCTURAL #COLLAPSE EXPOSED
| 2009–Now | #Bitcoin |
|---|
Rules without rulers Value without permission
STATUS: SURVIVED & EXPANDING
| 2019–Now | #Nostr |
|---|---|
| Identity without platforms | |
| Speech without feeds |
STATUS: EARLY, BUT CORRECTLY DESIGNED
1/18/2026, 18 engagements
