For those that are new to small web content, manifestos are pages that are dedicated to the author's history of their time on the internet, their opinions on what the internet has become, and/or other content like links to other manifestos and whatnot should the creator decide. I wanted to come up with ours, and I think a blog post would be just fine instead of a whole page dedicated to it.
In Our Defense, You Left Us Unsupervised
Due to the memory issues the disorder gave us, knowing when we got a computer in our childhood is difficult to pinpoint. We never had dinosaur computers, but I do remember Windows XP being the standard in elementary school and potentially being one of the first operating systems we used at home. We grew up with technology, but society wasn't as dependent on it as it is now.
As a child, most of our internet memories are of early YouTube videos. Most of the content we watched was made by other children and teenagers. Others from adults included the likes of BlackBusterCritic, VSauce, RayWilliamJohnson, Smosh; surprisingly, we weren't too into Fred. Since we were a dinosaur kid, we also watched Jurassic Park: Operation Genesis AMVs and videos about the game since we were too young to know how to get content for free. Look at those polygons! Some other content we remember engaging in is LPStube (if you remember LPS Popular), the animation side of YouTube, and just a sprinkle of the gaming side of youtube. The internet in the mid-2000s was a strange time to be online as a child, especially considering there wasn't as advanced content blockers as there are today.
With most things, you don't really notice the slow shift in things around you. You just become adjusted to it, especially if you've grown up with it like Gen Z has. Portable tech got skinnier, some things in the classroom were phased out, the family computer became multiple per household (if you could afford it), ads and sponsorships started popping up on videos, kids were either slowly shoved off platforms or lured in to garner money. The transition was subtle; and now we have the internet today.
What Do You Guys Think About the Internet?
It's 50/50.
The internet can be a great tool, especially for those who wouldn't have access to the outside world or information they wouldn't know about otherwise. On the flipside, corporate greed, parents not keeping up with tech and what their kids are doing, and algorithims have made the internet into something different. As a teenager, we remember coming home and checking a multitude of websites and apps after school; DeviantART, Tumblr, YouTube, Skype and eventually Discord. Now I can't even fathom checking anything often; the web isn't built for creatives anymore. In fact, I think they're actively being pushed off platforms. If you're not marketable, they can't make money off of you - and if they can't make money off of you, what good are you for?
Growing up in the South with abusive parents, we didn't have access to a lot of information due to their controlling behavior.
Other kids and adults who may not make friends due to their weird interests can meet others with similar ones online. It can teach someone how to a million different things, and yet what all do you use the internet for now?
So... What Brought You to Neocities?
So get this: I'm building a resume in class and I say I know a bit of HTML and CSS. My professor says that's impressive as most people don't have knowledge in that area. This surprised me a bit, and as such I wanted to build my skills more. Making a site seemed fun, and I needed to brush up on our html/css knowledge since it had been a while. I thought, "Hey, why not make a website dedicated to spreading knowledge about DID?" and so, here we are.
Why Dissociative Identity Disorder Specifically?
In short, this disorder is highly stigmatized by not only the mainstream media, but a lot of folks online as well. Making fun of the mentally ill is common; always has been, but I don't want it to be that way for future generations. Education can help break down stigma, and people with disorders talking about their struggles and conditions can help normalize these things. It actually motivates us when we see things like "if they're physically disabled, how can they stand up?" and "this isn't a real condition! you're making this up for attention!"; I see it as an opportunity for growth, and if I can at least educate one person then this was all worth it.
Anything Else You Wanna Add?
- Check out sadgirl's manifesto here
- Be kind to those with any illness, be it mental or physical. We're doing our best in a society that wasn't made for us. If you're confused about something, ask us.
- Caspian