Sometimes I like to go for little rabbit-hole wanderings through the old web. Geocities pages for example, they’re plentiful and are somewhat well recorded. Of course, this is probably connected to my newer interest in keeping my neocities page up-to-date, and hopefully this makes it onto my own page on there. As much as I enjoy reading through these old websites there’s something unmistakably sad or melancholy about them. They’re very much like when I find a random old note on a postcard, or someone’s name scribbled into a bench. They’re ghosts. Remnants of a time or life that has passed.
Usually these pages are isolated, their links gone cold decades ago, leaving little if no chance of finding the person behind it today; but I wish I could sometimes. To let that person know that I saw what they created, probably one of the last people that did. I wonder what they would think. I don’t even know that they are still living in many cases, and it’d undeniably be kinda weird if a random person showed up in your inbox being like “hey! I found the webpage you made when you were 19!” I feel like they deserve to be remembered though. I’m finding it hard to express the emotions I feel when I think about these old websites.
I just wish I could let them know that I listened. I listened to them talk about their lives and loves, pets, cars, computers, experiences, and anything they were willing to document for others to see.
I hear you. I just wish I could know you.