The worst person you know probably writes in all lowercase. This offhand style, once seen as a feminist statement, is now just a trend among the twentysomething generation. Rayne Fisher-Quann, who writes in all lowercase for her blog Internet Princess, claims it neutralizes self-importance, but behind the trend lies a more complex history. Early online feminist spaces like Just Girly Things and Rupi Kaur’s poetry paved the way, but 4chan shows that the lowercase aesthetic is part of a much older, and possibly more sinister, tradition.

Ken Thompson, one of the creators of the internet, wrote in lowercase on his 1969 Unix system, not because it was a feminist statement, but because it was simply the only option. Today, the lowercase aesthetic is seen as a way to avoid criticism and maintain a certain level of informality. However, it’s also a callback to the early days of computing, where the limitations of hardware dictated the style of communication.

The rise and fall of the lowercase aesthetic is a microcosm of the internet’s evolution. From the feminist blogs of the early 2010s to the anonymous forums of 4chan, the lowercase style has been adopted and adapted by different communities for different reasons. It’s a testament to the fluid nature of identity in the digital age, where the style of communication can be as important as the content itself.

So, the next time you read a tweet or a blog post in all lowercase, think about the long and winding road that led to this aesthetic. Is it a sign of a new digital identity, or just the old, familiar font of a bygone era?