Children of GeoCities

This project aims to trace the media genealogy of the web platform Neocities, with specific aim on their predecessor, Geocities. I hope to gain a better understanding of any persisting similarities between these two sites and how Neocities functions as a simulacrum to real urban-city structures. The information gathered will be presented on an HTML website of my creation, hosted on the Neocities platform. Through this project I aim to uncover both the technological and cultural effects the platform has on the modern internet. Media genealogy typically focuses on the previous technologies and power systems that shaped it, however I also aim to explore the effects these community focused platforms have on the people using them. My intent is to directly connect with members of the platform through my website to gather insights directly from the community, both through an informal chatbox and a page on the site for users to add information they believe is relevant to my project.