Escape

The must-read exploration of the birth and death of the internet, from award-winning journalist Marie Le Conte.

Fifteen years ago, the internet felt like a special place my friends and I had built for each other; by 2020, we were standing on its ruins, wondering if we'd played a part in its destruction.

Journalist Marie Le Conte was born in 1991, the same year the World Wide Web was invented. She had her first blog at 12, a successful music website at 15, a Wikipedia page at 17 and now, at 29, over 78,000 followers on Twitter. From MSN, Tumblr and MySpace, to chat rooms, forums and blogs; Marie is part of the millennial generation that grew up while the internet was growing up with them.

The generation that entered a new reality.

The generation that saw it all.

The generation who are now witnessing its collapse.

Where did it go all wrong? How did the internet go from a place where you went to escape real life to where real life is shaped? A place where you could be yourself and find like-minded people to a world of filters and ads? A place where everything you post is open to scrutiny? A place we are all now desperately trying to escape from?

Escape is a fascinating exploration on the birth and death of the internet. It's a look back on the platforms, the people and the online places. It's an analysis of the lessons being online has taught us, how the internet has changed us — and a celebration of the tools it gives us to feel less alone. The online generation have forever altered the world we live in, but the internet is no longer a place for the people that shaped it.