Whether it’s TikTok or Google, many of us use apps and websites every day without thinking twice about it.
But rewind just 30 years, and the internet looked very different.
TikToker @wilfredwebster has asked people in London about the early interent sites young people have never heard of.
In the video, respondents suggest a range of once–popular sites like Limewire, Bebo, Habbo Hotel, MSN, and Ask Jeeves.
And, ask suspected, Gen Z are absolutely clueless when asked what these were.
‘A toy? Or a cartoon character?’ one youngster replied when quizzed on what Bebo is.
So, do these early–2000s websites evoke memories from deep within you, or leave you scratching your head?
Scroll down to find out!
LimeWire was a popular music–sharing service that allowed people to upload and download music without compensation to artists
1. LimeWire
LimeWire was a popular music–sharing service that allowed people to upload and download music without compensation to artists.
The site was originally created by Mark Gorton in 2000, and drew in millions of users.
With people able to upload and download their own music, LimeWire was also known for spreading viruses.
In fact, one investigation showed that of 123 randomly selected downloaded files, 37 contained malware – about 30 per cent!
The site soon drew the outrage of musicians and was eventually shut down in 2010.
Taking to the comments on TikTok, several users have reminisced over the retro site.
‘All those viruses on LimeWire,’ one user commented, while another added: ‘Got all my music from LimeWire.’
MSN Messenger was the go–to instant messaging service of the early 2000s
And one joked: ‘God only knows how infected my computer was from the Limewire downloads.’
2. MSN Messenger
MSN Messenger was the go–to instant messaging service of the early 2000s.
Developed by Microsoft, the platform allowed users to connect and chat with each other through text, audio, and video.
Unlike most instant messaging services used today, MSN Messenger had no public posting, filters, or monetisation tools – including ads, sponsored content, or pop–ups.
This simple interface proved hugely popular, with a whopping 330 million active monthly users in 2009.
Unfortunately, as rival platforms like WhatsApp and iMessage became more mainstream, MSN Messenger began to die–off, and was eventually discontinued in 2014.
‘MSN was such a big part of our lives,’ one user reminisced on TikTok.
Habbo Hotel was a popular online social networking and virtual world platform, launched in 2000 by the Finnish company Sulake
‘The days of MSN and Bebo are probably some of the highlights of my childhood,’ another added.
‘It was the beginning of still being able to keep in contact with my friends without seeing them and for my socially anxious a** that was amazing.’
3. Habbo Hotel
Habbo Hotel was a popular online social networking and virtual world platform, launched in 2000 by the Finnish company Sulake.
It was designed as a pixel–art style ‘hotel’ where players – called Habbos – could create customizable avatars, decorate virtual hotel rooms, and interact with others in real time.
While it reached peak popularity in the early–2000s, Habbo Hotel actually still exists today – with many nostalgic players continuing to log on.
‘I loved Habbo Hotel!!!!’ one user delighted on TikTok.
Another added: ‘The lady that said Habbo Hotel just unlocked core memories that I completely forgot about!’
Bebo was founded in 2005, and was known for its questionnaires and its infamous ‘Top 16 friends’ feature
4. Bebo
Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and TikTok may be the most popular social media apps these days, but back in the early 2000s, Bebo was the go-to site for keen millennials.
Bebo was founded in 2005, and was known for its questionnaires and its infamous ‘Top 16 friends’ feature.
Alongside MySpace, Bebo was one of the contenders to Facebook in the early 2000s.
And at its peak it had about 40 million users.
It was sold to AOL for $850 million in 2008, and was soon eclipsed by Facebook as well as other social networking sites such as Twitter, YouTube, Tumblr, before being shut down in 2013.
‘Bebo was miles better than Facebook, you could customise your page and everything!’ one user commented on TikTok.
‘Everyone went over to the boring dull Facebook and Bebo died sad times!!’
In April 1997, web users traveled to a page where they could search in plain English. The site was accommodated by a butler named Jeeves, who originated from P. G. Wodehouse’s famous novels
Another added: ‘Wish I could see all my old Bebo pictures.’
Ask Jeeves
In April 1997, web users travelled to a page where they could search in plain English.
The site was accommodated by a butler named Jeeves, who originated from P. G. Wodehouse’s famous novels.
After typing in a question, users would be presented with a result page from three major sources: human-powered editorial content, crawler-based results from Teoma (owned by Ask Jeeves) and paid listings powered by Google.
If users did not get the answer they were looking for, a query would be sent to one of the site’s editors, who would search for them.
Ask Jeeves was rebranded to Ask.com in 2006 and attempted to overtake Yahoo Answers as a Q&A site.
Four years later, it was completely abandoned due to Google taking over the search engine industry.
MySpace was a social media platform launched in 2003 that let users design profiles, communicate with friends, share photos and diaries and post music to their page
‘Was Ask Jeeves not the OG AI?!’ one user questioned on TikTok.
Another added: ‘Ask Jeeves was our ChatGPT.’
MySpace
MySpace was a social media platform launched in 2003 that let users design profiles, communicate with friends, share photos and diaries and post music to their page.
Users not only invited friends to their profile but were allowed to show the internet who their ‘top eight’ were.
People spent countless hours redesigning their profiles, savagely ranking friends and choosing tunes to fit their moods.
Founder Tom Anderson sold Myspace to News Corp in 2005 for $580 million.
Six years later, the website sold again for a hugely depreciated $35 million, prompting Rupert Murdoch to refer to the initial purchase as ‘A huge mistake.’
