Just recently, a user by the name "FemmeAndroid" posted a message on "x", announcing the demise of a website. The full name of the website she referred to is "ThisWebsiteWillSelfDestruct.com", which might be familiar to many.

It was a self-destructing website, personally created by "FemmeAndroid" in 2020. Its functionality was simple: if it didn't receive any posts from users within 24 hours, the site would automatically shut down and destroy all stored data.

Over the past few years, this "24-hour self-destructing website", born during the pandemic, has become a haven for countless people. People anonymously published posts, shared their feelings, comforted each other, and the plethora of content maintained the website's mere 24-hour lifespan.

Now, it has stopped breathing.

1

The "24-hour self-destructing website" was birthed in a game development competition in April 2020. The then theme was "Keep it Alive," and as a participant, "FemmeAndroid" had such an idea:

"People are currently stuck at home, and some might need some encouragement to vent their emotions. So I thought, why not?"

Thanks to its simple function, "FemmeAndroid" quickly completed the creation of the "24-hour self-destructing website".

At first glance, it just looked like a regular forum, but its unique design was already written on the website's header: the site would shut down if it didn't receive a post in 24 hours.

Aside from that, it operated just like any other anonymous forum. Anyone could post to keep the website alive.

Given the circumstances of the pandemic, the initially obscure "24-hour self-destructing website" quickly became popular among netizens. Within just a year, it received over 200,000 posts from all over the world.

Over time, the unique feature of the website evolved from just "self-destruction" into a platform for sharing feelings that was different from the rest.

In the beginning, with the influx of numerous users, there was a wide variety of posts, including inappropriate content and meaningless "junk" messages.

As time passed, more and more heartfelt posts made their way onto the "24-hour self-destructing website".

These posts had no byline, so you could only guess who or where they came from, but many were themed around "anxiety" and "sadness".

Having been born during the pandemic, many posts related to it, and some people began to call it a "pandemic lifesaver".

During the most challenging times, the "24-hour self-destructing website" was there with these authors. The seemingly perilous countdown to self-destruction resonated with everyone who was worried about the future.

When conditions improved, so did the content of the site. It became more like a regular confession platform, and all kinds of posts could be seen.

Comforting words from strangers became the majority of the posts. Driven by the nature of the site, these couldn't be precisely delivered to those in need, but they massively appeared, waiting for an internet stranger to stumble upon them.

Moreover, upon noticing the site often received numerous pessimistic messages, "FemmeAndroid" added a button labeled "Feeling Down?" which provided some mental health resource channels when clicked.

However, according to her, most of the posts were relatively positive.

In the following years, the "24-hour self-destructing website" encountered a few mishaps (such as someone posting fake terrorist attack information) but continued to operate steadily. It also underwent a resurgence thanks to Tiktok video promotion.

News about it appeared almost every year, celebrating it being "still in operation", but they all wrote at the end, wondering how long this website could last.

Nevertheless, the website proved resilient, as people often posted encouraging messages like "you have to keep going".

It led some to question whether there was a bot posting automatically to keep the site alive.

This anonymous online forum, beginning in 2020, has survived until recently. It has shifted its tone multiple times, serving first as a "venting ground during the pandemic", then a "variety-filled venting platform", and finally a "platform for sharing and encouragement".

People have grown accustomed to its presence, but it doesn't change the fact that the final moment would inevitably come.

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Now, if you click on the domain of the "24-hour self-destructing website", it only redirects you to a vacant page. The website has accomplished its mission of self-destruction and has officially ceased operation.

Not long afterward, the website's creator, "FemmeAndroid", also posted a message confirming its "death".
On related forums, some netizens had already noticed, but it was too late.

This signifies that more than 24 hours had passed without anyone sending a message to the "24-hour self-destructing website", and it has fulfilled its existence's purpose.

For a website that lived through responses, it sustained for nearly four years. By current internet standards, this is already considered "long".

While it is a loss, there is no need for sorrow.

It is not because "the internet has no memory" - in fact, it's quite the contrary. This was inevitable; the website was merely following the course of life.

The website's lifespan was exhausted in the first 24 hours. In the long hours that followed, people just extended its existence by posting - a form of remembrance. Until the final oblivion came, time took it away, along with the tens of thousands of posts and the four years of pain and joy buried within, disappearing into the vastness of the internet.

There is no other reason, just as the website's creator said, but this was bound to happen eventually