awareness

What can we learn from early internet culture?

The term 'early internet culture' broadly refers to the period from the late 1980s to the early 2000s: a time when the internet was not yet a mass medium, but rather a space for experimentation, freedom and exploring new digital possibilities. Users were pioneers who did not just use the internet, but actively shaped it. These were programmers, hobbyists, researchers and activists who together formed their own online communities and ways of working. This culture was characterised by openness, curiosity and collaboration.

home / blogs / what-can-we-learn-from-early-internet-culture

Retro computer

Photo via Pexels

Loïs Verheij

Loïs Verheij •

June 2, 2026

A culture of sharing and building

In that early phase, several core values stood out, values that today almost feel nostalgic:

Instead of closed ecosystems, the internet was dominated by open protocols and freely accessible platforms. This created a much more open and less controlled internet than what we know today. Software was often developed based on shared interests rather than primarily commercial goals.

Open source software played a key role in this. Developers collaborated on projects whose source code was freely available, allowing others to study, modify and improve it. This led to faster innovation and a culture in which learning and contributing went hand in hand

Technologies and platforms

The technologies from this period were simple, yet powerful. Think of FTP servers, IRC (Internet Relay Chat), Usenet, and early web pages without complex frameworks. Old versions of these websites can still be found through the Internet Archive Wayback Machine, which provides a clear picture of how the web worked back then. Although the infrastructure was less user-friendly than modern platforms, it offered maximum control and freedom.

What stands out is that users were not passive consumers, but active participants. They built their own websites, hosted their own services or contributed to existing projects. That 'maker mentality' is something we have partly lost in today's landscape, which is dominated by large, closed platforms.

Lessons for today

Today's internet is characterised by centralised platforms, data collection and commercial interests. This stands in sharp contrast to the early ideals. That is precisely why it is valuable to look back.

One important lesson from early internet culture is the importance of openness. Open protocols and transparent systems made it possible to build, share and innovate freely. By once again embracing open standards and open source software, the internet could become less dependent on a small number of dominant parties. This not only increases innovation but also gives users more control over their own data and digital environments.

Another lesson is the value of active users. Where the internet today often revolves around consumption, its early strength lay in people who built and contributed themselves. Encouraging this 'maker mentality' can lead to more diversity, creativity and ownership online.

Finally, early internet culture highlights the importance of collaboration and knowledge sharing. Innovation did not emerge behind closed doors, but in open communities where people learned from each other and worked together on solutions. This way of working remains relevant, especially in a time when technology is becoming increasingly complex and influential. It accelerates innovation while keeping knowledge accessible and widely shared.

A Dutch example: XS4ALL

The principles of early internet culture were not only visible in international open source projects, but also in the Netherlands. XS4ALL was founded in the early 1990s by a group of young, ideologically driven hackers. At a time when internet access for private individuals was still very limited, they aimed to make the internet accessible to a broader public.

Their approach strongly aligned with the hacker ethic of the time: information should be freely accessible, systems should be transparent and users should have control over their own digital environment. Technical expertise was combined with a clear social vision of freedom and access to information.

XS4ALL grew into one of the first Dutch internet service providers for private users. The initiative shows that the ideals of openness, collaboration and digital autonomy were not just theoretical, they were put into practice (Reijnders, 2023).

A future inspired by the past

The influence of early internet culture is still visible today. Many of the technologies and principles developed at the time form the foundation of the modern internet. At the same time, the context has changed: scale, commercialisation and regulation have made the landscape more complex.

Still, the core remains relevant. Open source software continues to demonstrate that collaboration based on trust and transparency works. Initiatives around decentralisation, such as federated platforms and peer-to-peer networks, explicitly draw on these original values.

Early internet culture was not a utopia, but it was a period in which different choices were made. Choices oriented toward openness and collective benefit. By taking those values seriously again, we can work toward an internet that is not only efficient and profitable, but also fairer, freer and more resilient.

The question is not whether we can return to that time, but which principles we are willing to embrace again.