Escaping from the Mainstream Internet and Leaving the Web Behind

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Style Pass

2021-05-24 11:30:06

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I began my May 14th article by relating that an online acquaintance had removed her blog from her website. A short time after removing her blog, she took down her entire website and with it her public email address and my only means of contacting her directly. She correctly assessed that I was worried about her, and responded two days after I published my article. I first discovered her response in an article that she had posted in her tiny corner of an alternative network that is essentially unknown to mainstream Internet denizens. Curiously, although three different online website status checkers confirmed that her website is down, her article later found its way onto my RSS feed reader. She said she had decided to take a break from rude responses to her online activities to focus on solutions to other problems in her life. That sounds healthy to me. Though I will miss her blog, I hope she finds the respite she needs.

I should first define my terms. I will use the term "regular Internet" to distinguish it from alternative networks that technically are called Internet overlay networks, some of which are commonly labeled as "dark networks". Most people currently refer to the regular Internet as "the web", but the meaning of that term has changed over the years. Originally, the web consisted of only those Internet sites whose URL's began with "www". Now, to most people, the web means the entire Internet. I am using the phrase "mainstream Internet" to refer to the best known, high-traffic websites on the regular Internet, especially giant social media websites like Facebook, Twitter, and Reddit.