Has the internet changed since going mainstream?

The internet has changed for the worse as it has become more mainstream, in my opinion. With the advent of Facebook, Youtube, and Twitter arrived a tidal wave of the general public who were until then unacquainted with the internet and its culture and etiquette. An “eternal September” if you will. It was previously the reserve of the nerds and the society’s outcasts. Allow me to elaborate with some examples.

1. Days could pass between posts on a message board, meaning if you did make a post, it was well thought-out and meaningful. You looked forward to a response if you were the OP, in the hope that your query could be answered. These days, people fire-off hastily typed one-liners, often in a fit of anger or in a lame attempt to be funny. The quality of discussion has therefore dropped dramatically.

2. The smaller number of members on particular forums back then meant that each person was more likely to get involved in the conversation and have their say. It’s analogous to having a chat with 3 friends over the dinner table compared to shouting in the middle of a crowd. The smaller communities were more intimate and you would gradually get to know the other members’ “personalities” and opinions. This acquaintance from a shared interest would often develop into friendship and you are less likely to be offensive or uncivil to a friend. Internet etiquette was therefore more adhered to.

3. The communities were self-selecting. Unless you were really interested in aviation, for example, it was unlikely you would stumble across an aviation message board. These days we have “super-forums” that cover a wide range of interests, so if you join boards to discuss, let’s say, fashion, it won’t be long until you discover the other forums on travel, politics, languages etc. The increased accessibility of the individual forums leads to a more transient community and greater exposure to trolls. The loss of a sense of a stable community is regrettable.

The veteran internet surfers displaced by the tidal wave of new users have no doubt migrated to more discreet communities and the dark web but it’s sad to a part of internet culture disappear.