I found Rachel Greene's “Web Work: A History of Internet Art,” to be an interesting read, despite having to reread the article several times. Before this, I had an idea of how primitive the Internet was but didn't have an idea of how creative expression and communication played a role in this. To think that the internet was a place for non-marginalized communities to interact and express their views on society and interests amazes me. It's a thing to consider the way the internet is now with fear of mining personal data for bigger corporations versus how it was a place for the average enthusiast to belong. I especially loved how Heath Bunting created the King's Cross Phone-In event. It perfectly shows how the internet expanded to make events that would have otherwise been hard to organize. It shows how net.art is given value not only by the context it stems from but the community it's fostered in. Some interesting parts like the Jodi.org projects that brought on a new level of interaction with the users. The VNS Matrix and other sites made the internet its own kind of expressive platform for media and displaying unique human traits, ideas, issues, and concepts. From this, I get the feeling that these developments needed to happen to make what the internet is today in our lives, even with the ever changing landscape.
After reading Greene's article, I wasn't surprised by the content of Andrew Dickson's “With Galleries Closed, a Moment for Net Artists to Shine.” The pandemic in many ways has closed many forms of in-person entertainment through media. Although I rarely visit museums due to time, it was surprising to see how net.art makes a reappearance in mainstream media through the course of events. I understand how many would not get the hype of net.art since it was enjoyed by the audience connected to the communities, but the fact that curators devoted parts of museums to them now is amazing. To see artists who were years ahead of their time in terms of online creative expression being recognized is a sight to behold. I love Sebastian Schmeig's Gallery.Delivery since I personally use food delivery services and understand the cool reference for artwork. For the most part, this NYT article has shown me how the pandemic gave some positive light to previously shadowed trends and might inspire a new generation to add to the mix.