How to recapture the joy of the early internet | Michael Sun
TED Talks Daily
TED
4.1 • 11.9K Ratings
🗓️ 31 July 2025
⏱️ 16 minutes
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Summary
Before algorithms ruled our feeds, the internet was a mess — glitchy, chaotic and full of unexpected magic. Internet culture writer Michael Sun reflects on the wild digital world of the 2000s — and makes a funny, wry case for why we need to reclaim its spontaneity, weirdness and genuine connection. From niche Facebook groups to loading music onto your iPod, it might be time to borrow from the past.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | You're listening to TED Talks Daily, where we bring you new ideas to spark your curiosity every day. |
| 0:12.3 | I'm your host, Elise Hugh. |
| 0:14.3 | We spend a lot of time talking about the ways the Internet and social media are destructive, ruining our attention spans, our ability to connect, |
| 0:22.6 | our ability to discern truth from fiction. But with all this knowledge, could there still be a way |
| 0:27.3 | to live happier lives online? Like all Jen Ziers, writer and designer Michael Sun grew up online |
| 0:33.4 | and he knows the dangers. But in his talk, he shares why he thinks it's possible |
| 0:37.8 | to create a modern internet |
| 0:39.1 | that lets us be vulnerable and connect with others |
| 0:41.9 | in a more positive way |
| 0:43.1 | and enjoy the randomness that life and the early internet has to offer. |
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