“The Dark Forest Anthology of the Internet” is a 208-page book that documents five tumultuous years when we learned how to live, create, and conspire on an increasingly adversarial internet.

The original “Dark Forest Theory of the Internet” essay was published by Yancey Strickler in a private newsletter sent to 500 readers. The post struck a chord and became widely shared, with hundreds of thousands of readers in the following weeks. The concept of the Dark Forest captured a feeling and sense of danger online that an increasing number of people shared.

In the years following, some of the most influential voices on the web and in culture built on, argued with, and expanded the original Dark Forest concept. “The Dark Forest Anthology of the Internet” brings those disparate pieces together into a canon of thought that defines a specific era of the internet.

The eleven authors include: Yancey Strickler (Kickstarter/Metalabel); Venkatesh Rao (Ribbonfarm); Maggie Appleton; Peter Limberg and Rebecca Fox (The Stoa); Joshua Citarella (Do Not Research); Arthur Röing Baer and GVN908 (Moving Castles); Leith Benkhedda (DNR, Trust, and New Models); and Caroline Busta and Lil Internet (New Models).

The Anthology contains:

— The Dark Forest Theory of the Internet by Yancey Strickler
— The Extended Internet Universe by Venkatesh Rao
— The Dark Forest and Cozy Web by Maggie Appleton
— Chapel Perilous by Peter Limberg and Rebecca Fox
— We Need New Platforms to Tell New Stories by Joshua Citarella
— Proof of Vibes by Leith Benkhedda
— Moving Castles by Arthur Röing Baer and GNV908
— The internet didn’t kill counterculture; you just won’t find it on Instagram by Caroline Busta
— The Expanding Dark Forest and Generative AI by Maggie Appleton
— Holographic Meda by Caroline Busta and Lil Internet
— The Post Individual by Yancey Strickler

This Metalabel release makes available 777 first-edition copies of the book along with a digital edition and private roundtable for collectors of the work.

“The Dark Forest Anthology of the Internet” Published by The Dark Forest Collective Paperback, 208 pages, 4.4 x 6.6 inches / 11.2 x 16.8 cm ISBN: 979-8-218-31123-0

Metalabel

/++

Everything to Play For:How Videogames Are Changing the World – Marijam Did

An insider’s account of the videogame industry telling how gaming can become a force for good

Cyberfeminism Index – Mindy Seu

In Cyberfeminism Index, hackers, scholars, artists, and activists of all regions, races and sexual orientations consider how humans might reconstruct themselves by way of technology.

(un)real data ☁️ – (🧊)real effects

(un)real data ☁️ – (🧊)real effects explores the inherent ambiguity of data as an opportunity to not only describe the world but strategically intervene in it.

How to Build a Low-tech Internet? – Kris De Decker, Marie Otsuka

We were told that the internet would dematerialize society and decrease energy use. Contrary to this projection, it has become a massive infrastructure and a rapidly growing energy consumer. In this series of articles, Low-tech Magazine examines the reasons behind the ever-expanding resource use of digital communication and what we can do about it.