"Ojennat kätesi verkkoon ja joku tarttuu siihen"

Kokemuksia ja muistoja kotimaisen BBS-harrastuksen valtakaudelta

Authors

• Petri Saarikoski

Abstract

The History of BBS Culture in Finland (1982-2000): Memories and Experiences.History of Finnish BBS falls under the radar of modern network culture: its status and significance as a “pre-Internet” must neither be overemphasized nor underemphasized. The purpose of this article is to provide a general picture on the significance of the BBS culture from a computer hobbyist perspective. So far, the history of the BBS culture has not been extensively researched, especially in Finland. The study will proceed in chronological order from the early stages in the 1980s to the events in the 1990s and early 2000s. The available data on experiences and memories related to BBSes is survey based.The data from the BBS lists and the survey support the earlier observations regarding the diversity of BBS culture. The BBS hobby had its own rules, norms and courses of action, and this could also be seen in the playful, constantly changing use of language in the message areas. The study suggests that communications and the acquisition of files were the two most important means of activity. This has also been emphasized in earlier research. The attitudes toward downloading files were clearly a divisive factor among the hobbyists. The data evokes an image of an entirely new type of hobby that was initially met with a great sense of wonder. The most significant feature related to experiences and memories concerns the socializing role of BBSes. It should also be emphasized that, for many minorities, BBSes offered an excellent communication channel and created a sense of community that was undoubtedly in high demand. This aspect has rarely been discussed in studies, and it is one of the most important results of this study. The sources also talk about the slowdown period of BBS activity, and reminiscing about it has also brought up comments that fall within the realm of information network nostalgia. Writer argues that nostalgic and bittersweet messages are more indicative of changes in life than changes in technology.