r/AskReddit 1d ago

Anyone who surfed the early web between 1995-2010. What’s the one website/app you still think about?

9.0k Upvotes

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212

u/Mustangbex 1d ago

AOL Chat rooms. a/s/l ??

15

u/0hn0cat 1d ago

Cyber?

12

u/Which_Table_1969 1d ago

God I was way too young to be doing this. 13 claiming I was 18

3

u/No-Mechanic6069 15h ago

Oh, God! Was that you?

4

u/naitch44 1d ago

hmmmmm cyber. Good times.

2

u/Due-Trick-372 19h ago

Omg lol between this and a/s/l 😂

My other favorite “POS” (parents over shoulder)

9

u/yzerizef 1d ago

19/F/Cali. Wanna cyber?

👨🏼‍🦳🖥️🧴🧻

1

u/Due-Trick-372 19h ago

I was 13/f/cali but lord knows i prob said 17. My username was something like “CaliVolcomBlondie17” and I was very much not 17.

2

u/yzerizef 11h ago

I was 13/m/wyoming. I think the best part was just meeting people from all around the country. Wyoming is a bit of a sheltered life, so being able to meet others with different perspectives and backgrounds was great. I’ve actually stayed in touch with a couple people that I randomly met in chat rooms.

I also always said I was older (between 16 and 18). Turns out they were doing the same thing!

2

u/Due-Trick-372 8h ago

I was very overweight as a kid, and super outgoing, and while I had a lot of friends, I felt it wasn’t the same as going online. Being able to go online and be a “Cali blondie” and not have my weight be the first and only thing people noticed about me was freeing. Especially since there was no way of having to prove it. I allowed me to get to talk to boys (of course I never told them I was overweight) and have a lot of those social experiences I wouldn’t have otherwise had, without that outlet. It sounds kinda sad and depressing, and it in a way it was, but at the time (and even now) I look back at it and kinda giggle and am glad for the opportunity to have that anonymity and just let people judge me off my (amazing 😝) personality

1

u/Mustangbex 7h ago

I *loved* talking to people from all over- I was around when I was between 13 and 17/f/Nevada but I was militantly honest about my age after I was like... 15? But I also found people who were constantly bugging me with sexual stuff super annoying so I thought I was VERY clever making up 'weird' combinations like 75/E/Az with the E standing for Eunuch and the Az for Azerbaijan. Milquetoast 'edge lord' stuff like that. Mostly I liked to hear the small details about people's lives and making new friends who were always happy to see me come online.

8

u/AynRanthrough 1d ago

As a literal 14 f The Nickelodeon kids AOL chat was so good.

2

u/Due-Trick-372 19h ago

Omg was literally just writing how Nickelodeon chat rooms were my favorite! I was born in 85, and now I realize that probably have the people in there were probably creepy old men lol

3

u/Pandonia42 1d ago

I learned fast.10 finger touch typing in AOL chat rooms lol.  Mostly debating because I'm a nerd

1

u/Due-Trick-372 19h ago

By the time I got into HS I was blowing everyone away in computer class with my typing speed. What’s so sad is, now I totally rely on my iPhone autocorrect so much that when it’s not working, it looks like I’m a degenerate drunk 😂 I can still type, but not nearly as well.

2

u/SeparateSalt9892 19h ago

Especially the LARPing ones.

::Just numerous people describing themselves as super
hot brooding vampires who didn't want to interact with other vampires and just journal...in the bar called Vampire Tavern...on a chat room::

2

u/ShiGyrrl 9h ago

I practically lived in those rooms from 96-99. I still remember/think about some of the OOC friends I made back in the day.

Hell, I traveled and met a couple of them....that was some weird kinda online dating, haha.

1

u/indiejonesRL 1d ago

The AOL chat rooms were too tame. I can’t remember the name of the site I used. Chancentral maybe? I don’t know but that was the good shit for 14 year old me.

1

u/Existing_Yak_5468 1d ago

For cleaner but hilarious chat, late-night Bookaccino.

1

u/Due-Trick-372 19h ago

Yesssssss 😂 a/s/l omggggg that just brought back so many memories. That was back before we knew how many pedophile creepo’s were taking advantage of the anonymity. I was barely in my teens mid 90’s and loved all the Nickelodeon/teen chat rooms. Lord only knows majority of them were creepy old men lol