Requiem for the Internet is a collection of three non-destructive computer viruses (or, to be exact, interactive Graphics Device Interface (GDI) effects). The viruses were co-created based on conversations with four immigrants who are currently residing in the UK, exploring the parts of the internet that were lost or changed due to censorship and cyberattacks, in time and travel.
Please note that all executables are made, and tested, on Windows 10 only. While the files won’t cause any damage, you might receive safety warnings from the system that prevent you from running them. If concerned, the safest choice is to run them in virtual machines. All executables are able to quit immediately after hitting “Esc”.
snake.exe
Before coming to England, Viktoriia used to work in a governmental organisation back home in Rivne, Ukraine. She recalled multiple major anonymous cyberattacks against Ukraine over the years, targeting the country’s governmental financial system, banks, and mobile services. There were disruptions and panics across the country as people lost access to their phones and internet services. And when she went to work, the internal financial system was down, and the data on the server was wiped. Everything became inaccessible, stuck in the loading circle.
Before the full-scale invasion took place in real life, the fear and destruction had already existed in every moment of navigating information and connections online. Viktoriia said that she and her family are always worried that their phones might be listening in on them, and she was too afraid to post anything on social media before quitting her job and coming to the UK. “It’s scary. […] Losing all your financial information, losing all your ability to connect, you become weak.”
Viktoriia wanted to make a virus inspired by the snake game: the more one devours out of their greed, the closer they are to their own destruction.
Controls: Long press ↑, ↓, ←, → to move the snake. Esc to quit.
chat.exe
Silver and I both grew up in China. In the parts of our memories that we share about the early Chinese internet, it mostly consisted of a dreadful number of pop-up boxes that you could never get rid of, advertising antivirus software, (fake) prize draws, and cheap web games in an aggressive manner. Viruses felt like they were always right around the corner – if you accidentally clicked on one of the pop-ups and downloaded something you shouldn’t have.
Despite that, we found our spaces online. Over the years, we’ve mostly lurked, but also made friends and figured out parts of our queer identities there. But, along the way, things also started disappearing: friends that have been replaced by “user not found”, reposts about and comments under socio-politiccal issues that get deleted right after posting, the messages sent that can’t be viewed by others for reasons that we have no idea of, the online community we once relied on that’s no longer the way it was after rounds and rounds of censorship.
A feeling stays the same: no matter how we get online or offline, travel or become older, there’s nowhere to fit in.
Controls: Click & type to use the chat box. Click to close the pop-up boxes. Esc to quit.
cookie.exe
Dilan and Ad are both academics who were born and raised in India. Dilan recalled a time when connections didn’t come easily, phone booths on the other side of the city one needed to run to on foot. The internet was a life changer – one that introduced to both of them a whole new world of knowledge, media, and friends around the world. The viruses back then felt scary, yet simpler – less high stakes, many of them just pranks and gimmicks to get famous in the online world. Today, as Ad noted, viruses have seemingly disappeared in public, as they’ve evolved into cookies, censorship and propaganda online that have entirely infiltrated our connections and minds.
In their personal lives, Dilan & Ad have gradually shifted away from the parts of the internet that they grew up with, as the current government has risen and strengthened in power through its divisive yet highly effective social media campaigns led on nationalism. They don’t like the grief narrative around the old internet – they enjoy many things about the new internet, much like how they enjoyed many things about the old internet. Though they wondered what the consequences are of us always chasing the new, shiny, “better” things.
Based on my conversation with Ad & Dilan, this executable was inspired by the game Cookie Clicker, and all of the upgrades and updates that saturate us within and beyond our computer screens.
Controls: Click to interact with the pop-up boxes. Esc to quit
