Escape

Journalist Marie Le Conte was born in 1991, the same year the World Wide Web was made publicly available. She had her first blog at 12, a successful music website at 16 and, at 31, has just under 100,000 followers on Twitter. She spent her formative years on MSN, MySpace, Tumblr and forums; like many people her age, she grew up online as the internet itself was growing up. It was a joy until it wasn't - where did it all go wrong? How did the internet go from a haven you hid in to escape real life to a place where real life is shaped? A space where you could be yourself and find like-minded people to a world sullied by bad algorithms, annoying brands and endless trolling? When did it become the place we're all trying to run away from? Escape is a fascinating exploration of the rise and demise of the internet. It's a look back on the people and platforms that came and went before everything started collapsing. It's an analysis of the lessons being online has taught us, and a celebration of the tools it gave us to feel less alone.