Digital Ghosts and Ghost Stories

Singletona082

404 – Resource Not Found.

The error message nobody wants to see when on the hunt for information. The link now a ghost, a description of the thing but not the thing itself.

Worse than these ghosts are the zombies of domains snapped up then made to show keyword stuffed spam. Thus turning them into digital corpses reanimated to haunt and infect the living.

‘Once it’s online, it’s there Forever.’

In the thirty years of my having any experience online? I have learned the sad fact that this is not true. GeoCities? Gone. All manner of forum, comic, community, and blog? Gone or turned into a malware slinging zombie.

I encountered both Ghosts and Zombies while trying to find out more about a keyboard I’d bought supposedly on sale with a generous coupon that was still active. As it turns out what I bought was a counterfeit from a group that had been partnered with the manufacturer but was cut loose when they were found stuffing substandard boards incompatible with customization software. This brings to mind the trope of an evil wearing a fairer skin, if not outright mimicking the face of a loved one to gain entry into your home.

Lastly, for the time being, I shall speak of Vampires. We have these too. Those that suck the joy and life and vitality out of others while hoping to infect them to make more of themselves. Without throwing too much shade at any one space, that sounds like social media to me.

So, as you scroll through the wired world, do keep a weary eye out for what is about you. This may be a digital age, but these old monsters are all too human and will stay by us for all of our days, waiting in the shadows.