Content

Anarchism was not only a way to express one's ideas, but to put them into practice as well.

Collectivize

Site hosting would be collectively upheld by donations, often run by the same lines of thought as their ideology. Services would be provided by individuals offering and with the skills to do so, democratic action was often used to run the sites themselves as can be seen when I discuss Anarkismo. There was certainly no central planning for anything, though people did tend to naturally coalesce in certain areas because they were more well known.
In their own words, sentiments were often echoed supporting "the horizontal creation of networks, coalitions and forums inspired by the practice of self-organization, self-management and direct action" to "represent the collective capacity for acting against the contradictions and violence of neo-liberalism and develop the greatest possible international solidarity" [Src]

It's interesting to note that you can note the residual impacts from pre-internet generations shown still in Anarchist's actions. Particularly in Zines and Publications, where you can find free access to the published writings of several groups from around the world. This kind of work cropped up as an easy way to collect radical thoughts in one place, express their will through art, and reach people in local areas that have similar beliefs. Literature as a whole is incredibly important to the movement, whether it be in one's conception of what Anarchism is and is not, introducing essential texts for beginners and new, advanced ones for people who want more, or through their own published work. There is a vested interest to record the ideas of Anarchist thought, as well as organize them in one place to carve out an identity for themselves more nuanced than the average depiction. Apparently, "The revolution will be cataloged"

The simple idea that knowledge should be free and accessible to all alligned as well with anarchist schools of thought, so ideas about open source communication and collective action were coopted as the movement went online. This is seen in more obvious ways previously mentioned like volunteering to support and maintain sites and the push for access to literature, but also was just core to almost every facet of what I saw. News from around the world was shared by individuals close to it, whether it be fascist violence or anarchist action or imperialist politics. This bred a space which emphasized awareness of class struggle and solidarity no matter where you're from. Particularly you can see this manifested in the effort to translate articles into as many languages as possible on Anarkismo and other news sites, and the effort to make region and country-specific sites, mailing lists, groups etc. I also noticed a distain for Intellectual Property, citing that "Proudhon said it long ago, that "property is theft," and that the beneficiaries of IP are "those with power, who can use the force of the state to enforce their claims"

As the transfer of knowledge happened, the audience also grew. Before, while there may have been organizations growing in local areas with big pockets of dedicated individuals to keep it alive, it was now easier than ever to not only engage with radical discussions like this but be exposed at all to them. Hosting sites like geocities, angelfire and the like which allowed anybody from any background to equally share a voice in the new and expansive internet were incredibly integral to this, and so there began a growth in who was engaging in Anarchist organizations. "Membership of these nascent organizations was comprised of veterans of previous groupings and struggles as well as energized newcomers, all representing diverse experiences of politicization. Most importantly, these groups seemed to benefit from an understanding of the failures and successes of past formations as well as the opportunities provided by a particularly ripe political moment. Instead of burning bright and fading away over a short period of time, these groups persevered and began to put down roots" [Src]
Learning from the past impacted strategies in the future, I was particularly interested in the article on Anarkismo that discusses how to organize networks most effectively.

In the article, they are hyper-aware of their perception and that by virtue of attatching "Anarchist" to their organization, they are treated as a threat. It's easier for the media to act as if some terrifying malicious group of rowdy anarchists influenced a protest in opposition to policies rather than admit that working class people are unsatisfied with their government. In the image here, the bottom part mocks the bin tax by comparing it to having to pay for bathrooms, i.e. a turd tax. Satire has been a potent form of political criticism throughout time. It can make it easier to digest information, more memorable so you remember it, and humiliation can be weaponized by those who have far less political capital as policymakers.

It's also just fascinating to look at the humanity that I find in these sites. One of my favorite part of browsing old websites is how open and eager people were to show you their lives. I feel a pang in my chest when I see a geocities from 1999 of a 14 year old girl telling her viewers everything about her family, life, interests and what she wants to do with the future. I wish so badly that I could know what they're up to now, but don't know how to find out without overstepping bounds. While the same cannot often be said for many anarchist sites I found, as they chose not to mention names, rather focus on organization of people, there are still unique cases. I found a little of this in ANARCHY AND CHAOS, though it had its own special anarchist flare. The owner of the site originally stayed relatively anonymous in earlier renditions, signing themselves off as -(d)anger. However, very soon their personal life and ideology began to collide, even online as they were arrested at an anti-capitalist riot on June 18th, 1999 in Eugene, Oregon and were sentenced to seven years in prison. Despite not putting much personal information, after his arrest we can see on his message boards his friends or supporters posting his arrest record and tried to gain support for him. Even within a lot of the forums and comments, I can see people talking about themselves so freely though. Teens mention their high schools and the conversations they have with their peers, teachers mention how they discussing content in class, they talk about their family dynamics and how anarchism clashes. It has a certain feeling to it that I can't quite place, an openness that I just don't see anymore, and a genuine intention from it.