Newt Gingrich standing up for porn. Michael Jackson participating in a "simulchat" using what looks like a 20-pound laptop. Sandra Bullock looking for a place to plug in her modem. My goodness, the world has changed since 1995.

An old clip from MTV News that went viral on Thursday provides a glimpse back to the pre-Facebook, pre-Twitter, pre-WiFi, pre-iPhone age. Kurt Loder explains what was then still sort of a fad:

In 1995 some ten million people regularly use the Internet. What's attracted many of them is the World Wide Web--which is a proliferation of special address truck stops called "websites"--and the arrival of network browser programs that make the whole thing if not idiot proof, at least user friendly.

It's somehow prescient that MTV uses an old Macintosh to illustrate its pixelated glimpse into the future.

Want to add to this story? Let us know in comments. You can share ideas for stories on the Open Wire.
Adam Clark Estes