Every Monday through Thursday, The Outline World Dispatch brings you stories about Power, Culture, and the Future. We guarantee you’ll feel smarter and more hydrated.
It’s 1996 and you just got home from school. Lenny Kravitz is playing on the radio and the TV is blaring Olympics fever from Atlanta. You check to make sure no one is using the phone line and then you login to The Palace.
Today on the Dispatch, writer Nicole Carpenter joins Future editor Casey Johnston to revisit this mysterious chat server. Along with archival from the creator, Jim Bumgardner, Nicole tells the story of her experience on The Palace, how she found her individuality, and how one of the first social networks ended up mimicking real life for the worst.
Give it a listen, and let us know what you think on Twitter. We’re @OutlineDispatch or AOL keyword: DISPATCH. Just make sure no one picks up the phone while you’re watching a RealPlayer stream of “No Diggity.”
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