Chapter A Decade of transformation discourse: Sociotechnical imaginaries of the Dutch web between 1994–2004

Abstract

Web archives enjoy an increasing awareness and usefulness across a range of fields and disciplines, contributing to historical studies with archived web material, but also about the internet. Knowing how the web is imagined is essential for interpreting archived web material, especially during a highly transformative age in which technology advances at a rapid pace. This chapter investigates such a time of studying the Dutch web between 1994 and 2004, confirming that discourse surrounding the internet is appropriated differently. By means of a thematic analysis of a purposive sample of public media, the chapter presents 5 discursive themes that each reflect specific understandings of the Dutch web situated in a particular context, specified through social structure, scope, and time.