Hi, my name is Jacob. I just turned 22 last week and graduated uni last month. Since coming back home to this lonely island, I’ve been feeling lost and nostalgic for my online childhood joys. Namely, the connections I’ve made and the virtual spaces I’ve discovered on the internet as a chronically online kid. Anyone else play Habbo Hotel religiously?
Last night, I accidentally came across this inactive blog, Be The Hands and Feet, and it was an oddly enlightening experience. The author wrote sporadic entries over a four year period from 2009 to 2012. And while I didn’t necessarily resonate with his eccentric takes on religion, I certainly empathized with his humanity — his struggles as a father, a husband, and a Christian. I stayed up till 2am engrossed in his lengthy diary entries — a stark contrast to my usual doomscrolling in search of a quick dopamine release, which is very characteristic of my generation.
Anyways, it was the first time in a long time that I felt connected to an anonymous person online. Ironically, it was outside the ever ubiquitous social media platforms like Instagram or TikTok, which are infested with brain rot content and millions of personalities that leave me overwhelmed and dull. Instead, I found childlike solace from this author’s personal journal on an old-fashioned WordPress blog reminiscent of simpler times.