Internet’s Dark Forests: Subcultural Memories and Vernaculars of a Layered Imaginary

In this book, Marta Ceccarelli sheds light on the partially hidden shadowlands of the internet’s Dark Forests. The author proposes a possible reading of the history of the (social) internet. Starting from the transformation of the web into a tool for profit rooted in Californian countercultural movements, all the way to the modes of monetization and persona crafting epitomized by Kim Kardashian. Evoking the theory of lore, Ceccarelli explores the depths of the logics that govern the Dark Forest space, proposing heuristic tools to read the complex and interconnected geographies of the internet. She presents a sketch of @incellectuals to reveal the rich vernacular and memetic practices that demand and produce temporary subversive digital spaces. Constructing newer vocabularies of meaning and memory making, Dark Forests challenges Clearnet’s claim over our irl and url selves. The author’s own experiences of finding refuge in the Dark Forests is an intimate account of the urgency and exhilaration of seeking collectivity. The text invites the reader to follow the breadcrumbs left by Ceccarelli, embarking on a journey into the internet’s shadowy paths that lead to new modes of being online.