Netizens: Citizens of the Web

The exhibition was on view from February 11 to March 15, 2025. Alongside the immersive installation, the program featured a lecture-performance, an opening party, and a special screening and conversation hosted at Studio Marcado.

Netizens: Citizens of the Web is an immersive experience exploring the evolution of the internet through a layered narrative. Created by artists Elçin Arpaçay and Dilara Başköylü, the project reflects on the transformation of online spaces—from their chaotic and personal beginnings to today’s structured and algorithm-driven environments.

The journey begins in the Web 1.0 era, evoking a digital landscape shaped by hand-coded websites on platforms like GeoCities. Glittery GIFs, "under construction" banners, and guestbooks recall a time when users were not just consumers, but creators—building personal digital neighborhoods with a sense of ownership and expression.

With Web 2.0, the internet becomes faster, more connected, and more controlled. Social media platforms streamline interaction, but in doing so, diminish individuality. Templates and algorithms take over, reshaping how people create, connect, and present themselves online.

Netizens turns toward Web 3.0, examining how blockchain, artificial intelligence, and decentralized technologies are reimagining our digital future. While these tools promise empowerment and innovation, they also raise critical questions about control, identity, and the cost of seamlessness.

Netizens is both a tribute and a provocation—honoring the pioneers of the early web while inviting us to reflect on digital citizenship today. What do we carry forward, what do we leave behind, and who gets to shape the internet we’re building now?