Includes bibliographical references and index

Recalling the modem world -- Computerizing hobby radio -- Building an internet for everyone -- Sharing files with strangers -- Cultivating community -- Becoming the net -- Imagining a better future for the internet

"This is a book about how the internet became social. The people who built and maintained dial-up bulletin board systems ("BBSs") in the 1980s laid the groundwork for millions of others who would bring their lives online in the 1990s and beyond. Along with writing code and running up their phone bills, these modem enthusiasts developed novel forms of community moderation, governance, and commercialization. As some of the only people to enter the dot-com boom with practical experience running online communities, many BBS systems operators found employment in the internet economy of the 1990s. Some transformed their BBSs into internet service providers (ISPs). Others applied their expertise to the World Wide Web. Over time, countless social media platforms have reproduced the social and technical innovations of the BBS community. Driscoll provides a pre-history of social media, centered not in the office parks of Silicon Valley or the meeting rooms of military contractors, but rather from the view of millions of hobbyists, volunteers, activists, and entrepreneurs who-for fifteen years prior to the opening up of the Internet-hosted small-scale online systems in cities and towns throughout North America"-- Provided by publisher