Is Craigslist the Final Authentic Space Left Online?

Megan Koester, a writer and comedian, landed her first writing gig reviewing internet pornography over 15 years ago through a Craigslist ad. Years later, she used the same classifieds platform to find her rent-controlled apartment, which she still calls home. When she decided to invest in property, she browsed Craigslist and discovered a piece of land in the Mojave Desert. She constructed a home there (later learning it was unpermitted) and furnished it entirely with items sourced from the free section of Craigslist, including laminate flooring previously utilized by a production company.

“Craigslist has so many elements intertwined in my life,” remarks Koester, 42, who posts on Instagram showcasing what she has termed “harrowing images” from the site’s free section. On the day of our conversation, she sports a cashmere sweater she acquired without spending a dime, attributing it only to her willingness to respond to an ad lacking pictures. “I’m ride or die.”

Koester represents a vast number of Craigslist enthusiasts, many in their thirties and forties, who continue to use the vintage classifieds site, viewing it as an integral, albeit outdated, aspect of their daily routines. It’s a platform where anonymity remains intact, money doesn’t always need to change hands, and strangers can forge genuine connections for various reasons—romantic interests, straightforward exchanges, and even casting for unconventional creative endeavors, such as experimental TV series like The Rehearsal on HBO and Amazon Freevee’s Jury Duty. Unlike trendier online marketplaces like DePop and Etsy or Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist refrains from utilizing algorithms to monitor users’ behaviors and anticipate their desires. The site lacks public profiles, rating systems, or “likes” and “shares” that serve as social currency; consequently, Craigslist discourages clout-chasing and virality-seeking—behaviors that thrive on platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and X. It embodies a utopian vision of a simpler, more sincere internet.

“The real freaks come out on Craigslist,” Koester says. “There’s a certain purity to it.” However, the site has become somewhat more subdued; Craigslist discontinued its “casual encounters” ads and removed its personals section in 2018 following Congress’s passage of legislation that could have held the platform accountable for listings related to potential sex trafficking. Nonetheless, the “missed connections” section remains available.

As noted by Jessa Lingel, an associate professor of communication at the University of Pennsylvania, the site exemplifies the “ungentrified” internet. In this context, online gentrification has seemingly accelerated in recent years, partly due to the rise of AI technologies. Even platforms like Wikipedia and Reddit, which were created in the early 2000s and share a similar community-focused ethos to Craigslist, have adopted their own versions of AI tools.

Some might contend that Craigslist has outlived its usefulness; an article published in this magazine over 15 years ago described it as “underdeveloped” and “unpredictable.” Yet, for the site’s most dedicated fans, that unpredictability is exactly what makes it appealing.

“I believe Craigslist is experiencing a revival,” asserts Kat Toledo, an actor and comedian who frequently uses the site to recruit cohosts for her LA-based stand-up show, Besitos. “When something is designed so simply and truly serves the community without demanding too much? That’s what endures.”

Toledo began using Craigslist in the 2000s and has never looked back. Throughout the years, she has utilized the site to find love, housing, and her current position as an assistant to a forensic psychologist. She has held this role full-time for nearly two years, contradicting Craigslist’s image as a source of potentially dubious one-off gigs. The stigma surrounding the website, often associated with scams and, in some cases, violent incidents, can be challenging to overcome. “If I’m not performing well,” Toledo jokes to her employer, “just remember, you found me on Craigslist.”