A newsletter about internet history and its impact on our culture, by Richard MacManus. Currently serializing my latest book.
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The Enshittocene: How the Internet Got Worse in the 2010s
The 2010s was a period of the internet colonized by platforms, which caused 'enshittification' of web products. Users and developers both suffered, but are fighting back now through the decentralized web.
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The Great Editorial Pivot of 2011 As RWW Struggles Continue
Our writer woes are not getting better and it’s impacting page view numbers. Social media referral traffic is also a concern. It prompts me to decide on a drastic strategy shift for ReadWriteWeb.
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Team RWW Meetings at SXSW 2011 and a Crisis of Confidence
During my trip to Austin in March 2011, I catch up with ReadWriteWeb writers Sarah Perez and Mike Melanson. Then when I get back home, I start thinking about big changes to our company.
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What the Internet Was Like in 2010
2010 was the year of mobile apps — Instagram's launch, the rise of Foursquare, the release of the iPad, and the rapid growth of Facebook and Twitter via apps. The internet also impacted political uprisings.
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SXSW 2011 and Dealing With RWW Editorial Challenges
Team ReadWriteWeb attends SXSW 2011 in Austin. We host a BBQ for our sponsors, I meet Sarah and Seamus for the first time, and the RWW management team addresses writer concerns.
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Swapping Web 2.0 Summit for PARC; and RWW Planning for 2011
In October 2010, I visit Silicon Valley again but skip the Web 2.0 Summit. Instead, I’m a judge at a startup competition and visit PARC. After my trip, I buy a house and contemplate RWW’s future.
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ReadWriteWeb Growing Pains and Managing the Writing Team
As we continue to grow ReadWriteWeb over the second half of 2010, I struggle with our inability to hire US writers full-time because it’s a non-US company. This creates unease amongst our bloggers.
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Serializing a Book Online: Lessons From My Web 2.0 Memoir
On the first anniversary of launching my serialized book, I reflect on what I've learned — including the pros and cons of my pivot from Substack newsletter to indie website.
To explore Cybercultural's archive of internet history articles, you can browse by internet era:
- Pre-web (1960s-80s)
- Dot-com (1990-2003)
- Web 2.0 (2004-2012)
- Enshittocene (2013-2021)
You can also read yearly reviews or search for a topic of interest.