I grew up in the late 90's and early 00's, and I was fascinated by the cinder block we called a PC. I spent most of my time outside digging, climbing, and getting lost in ravines, but when I had "computer time", I would always accept. My family didn't have any video game systems until the Wii was released, so the computer was my main exposure to technology. I grew up playing Zoo Tycoon, Age of Mythology, Reader Rabbit, and any flash game I could find. When I was about 10, my friend introduced me to Neopets, which was extremely popular and I absolutely adored it. Around that time it boasted roughly 25 MILLION users, so we were never low on things to do and people to meet.

It was around that time that I learned what HTML was. I felt like such a little genius using hex values to change font colors, or copy/pasting code for a cool new cursor for my page! My page was fully customized with all my favorite classic rock bands, anime gifs, Linkin Park lyrics, everything a preteen could want. All that code is outdated now and my page (which I'm now locked out of because Verizon no longer hosts emails) looks like a mess of brackets and parenthesis. Regardless of the current state, my initial experiences with HTML were nothing but positive.

I've enjoyed hopping around websites and going through phases of interests and learning new things and meeting new people. Unfortunately, the world of the internet has become very difficult with all the bad influences in social media. I hate being made to feel bad about myself by people with rich parents. I hate knowing that nothing is private or just for my friends. I hate all the ads! I heard about NeoCities and was instantly interested, though it took me a while to feel energized enough to start doing HTML again. I want to have a space that is currated for me and other passionate people. I highly recommend everyone spend some time bringing some customization to their online life. Don't ignore important current events, but don't feel like you need to see every post on your feed or be involved in every trend every week. Let's all make positive social media experiences and relax! :)