Logging On Up North: Inside Chronically Online at Showroom Cinema

Chronically Online: A Personal History of the UK Internet is a one-night-only programme showcasing Britain as seen through the eyes of the internet. As part of a UK tour, we'll be screening a specifically northern edition of the festival here at Showroom Cinema in Sheffield. 

As a team of young programmers local to the Sheffield area, we began by sharing our own corners of the internet with each other - the specific content that had stuck with us as children raised by an equally nascent online culture. Due to our range of chronically online backgrounds, though all paths had seemingly led us here, we had a nice range of content to work with. From music videos and short films to tutorials and vlogs. We began combing through the content whilst considering potential limitations such as timings, age restrictions, and availability. 

Equally, we contemplated a range of themes in order to narrow down our final lineup. 'Bleak Britain' was initially considered, portraying a more honest side of the north through location based content and creators such as David Firth (MC Devvo, Salad Fingers). We even looked into a specific 'food' themed event featuring our beloved Rate My Takeaway and Kay's Cooking. 

It became important to us to consider what made the videos special. Were we laughing at the creators, or laughing with them? We found the baseline of all our explored themes to simply be an appreciation of our surroundings. We are grateful to these creators, whether they were intentional or just accidental icons, they have allowed us to share our home and the people in it with a much larger audience. As a result, we decided our theme would simply be 'The North'. 

By programming these selected videos, our intention is not to host a comedy night of 'top 10 funniest northern fails', we're sure you can already find that somewhere in the Youtube archives. Instead, we intend to share and celebrate a documented piece of modern history. Though we're young programmers, this event is representative of, and for, everyone. Us, as we have been, as we are now, and as we will be remembered until the end of time, in all our pixelated glory. 

 Tillie, co-curator for Showroom Sheffield's edition of Chronically Online: A Personal History of the UK Internet

Ready to relive the north's finest online moments? Join us for Chronically Online: A Personal History of the UK Internet [+ Q&A]  at Showroom Cinema on Tuesday 29 September. Tickets are just £6, so book online now.