In 1994, Polish computing student Eva Pascoe opened Cyberia, the world’s first internet cafe in London. The cafe attracted club kids, game developers, and tech heads, offering a space for women to feel safe online. Cyberia spread globally, becoming a hub for the counterculture movement of the 90s. The cafe featured music legends like Mick Jagger and David Bowie. However, as home internet access increased, Cyberia closed in the UK in 2004. Eva laments the loss of the free-spirited internet culture, now overshadowed by Silicon Valley. Today, the idea of internet cafes, especially ones like Cyberia, seems like a relic of a bygone era.
https://www.vice.com/en/article/worlds-first-ever-cyber-cafe-cyberia-london/