Living an online life has changed dramatically when comparing 2025 to 2005. Sadly, I must say that many of these changes are negative. What is happening in the world right now is confusing and painful to watch, and the internet no longer feels like ours.
One of my New Year’s resolutions is to fully distance myself from big tech. I’ve been reflecting on what the internet was like 20 years ago, and I remember so many good things. I remember the early days of WordPress, Drupal, phpBB, and MediaWiki. PHP was undoubtedly the most popular programming language. We would rip CDs into MP3s and download Linux ISOs with BitTorrent over 512 Kbps fast internet. We spent our days on nerdy online BBS forums and reading from a variety of cool, interesting blogs. The dot-com bubble had popped, and the internet wasn’t yet heavily intertwined with the real world. Somehow, though, we felt more connected.
But over time, big tech took over. Social networks replaced BBS forums and blogs. Smartphones became the most important digital devices, boasting the power of advanced PCs. Yet, today, two mega-corporations and governments control what can be installed on our personal devices. Instead of a diverse web of communities linking to one another, the internet has become a place dominated by mass surveillance and corporate algorithms dictating what we should say, see, and think. Now, these mega-corporations and their allies are pushing AI to replace human labor and creativity. Even WordPress is going through a mid-life crisis.
That said, I’m not against the technological progress of the past two decades. Modern programming languages like Rust, Golang, and Swift have made coding fun and enjoyable. We can no longer live without the advancements in silicon and processing power. Triple-A video games are literally in the palms of our hands. Linux has improved significantly, becoming more popular, and open-source software is everywhere. Moreover, the architecture of modern artificial intelligence is somewhat open and accessible to individuals using consumer-grade hardware.
For years, I’ve been on a journey of self-hosting. Many of the services and data I rely on now reside in a small corner of my home. I’ve increasingly turned to open-source apps and systems to manage my daily life.
Now, I’m starting to blog again, deactivating my accounts from big tech, joining the Fediverse and a community-driven development platform, moving my digital infrastructure out of the United States, and adopting a new online identity inspired by one of my favorite Pokémon, Zorua (ゾロア1). Zorua’s ability to create illusions symbolizes the fundamental right to privacy.
I hope to blog more frequently. Right now, I’m in the middle of playing 428: Shibuya Scramble and can’t wait to share my thoughts on it. I’m also looking forward to upgrading my homelab or finding the perfect Linux laptop. 2025 might be a year of uncertainty, where much of what we once believed in is being dismantled. Let’s hope we can survive.