This document provides a brief history of digital culture prior to 2007, beginning with early technologies like the Memex and ARPAnet. It discusses the growth of hacker culture and phone phreaking communities. The Whole Earth Catalog is noted for promoting personal empowerment through independent learning. Bulletin board systems and Usenet grew in popularity in the late 70s-90s, alongside early consumer online services. The document traces the commercial "selling" of the Internet throughout the 80s and 90s. It also covers the rise of dot-com companies, peer-to-peer technologies, open source software, and the dot-com bust of the early 2000s. Finally, it mentions the emergence of Web 2.0 and

1. A brief history of
digital culture
(pre-2007)

2. Pre-History: Memex

3. Pre-History: ARPAnet

4. Pre-History: ARPAnet
Arpanet, 1984
U.S. Highway
System

5. Pre-History: Hacker Culture
MIT: Tech Model Railroad Club DEC PDP-1 University Labs
Phone Phreaks

6. Pre-History: Pranksters & Communes

7. Pre-History: Whole Earth Catalog
“personal power is developing—
power of the individual to conduct his own education,
find his own inspiration, shape his own environment,
and share his adventure with whoever is interested.”
- Stewart Brand

8. Early History: BBS (1978-1994)

9. Early History: UseNet (1980-2000s)

10. Consumer Online Services (1980s-90s)

11. Selling the Internet (1980s edition)
KRON news story, 1981

12. Selling the Internet (1980s edition)
Prodigy Commercial, 1990

13. Selling the Internet (early 90s edition)
News story, circa 1993

14. dot-com Homesteading (mid-late ‘90s)

15. Selling the Internet (1990s edition)
Excite Commercial, c. 1998

16. Selling the Internet (1990s edition)
Jupiter Communications promo video, 1999

17. Peer-to-Peer & Open Source
1989
1999
2001

18. Dot-bust (2000-2002)
NASDAQ

19. mid-2000s: Web 2.0 & Social Media