What do you miss the most about "the internet of old"?

E
Waffles said:
I don't let my kids anywhere near social media, with the heavily-walled world of YouTube Kids providing most of their online entertainment. It's just crazy letting actual children run around online.
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Especially with all the rock spiders.
 
I really miss the large SIMs communities that existed in the early aughts and how close-knit they were.

There were like thirty sites and Yahoo! Groups and they linked to each other, shared each other's stuff, collaborated... But their owners (and the internet) have moved on. The few that are still online have turned into blogs as adulthood took over their owners' lives.
 
mollieifusco said:
The internet being "a place." One you could leave at your parent's desk.
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I think this encapsulates my entire thought on things. It used to be something I'd spend a few hours on and leave. Go back and play a game console. Pop in a DVD. Hang out with friends. Read books. Watch a movie or episode of a series with the family.

Now it's in everyone's pocket. Most of us work on it. Modern gaming is very closely tied to or fully reliant on it. A growing number of people are addicted to it. Now you have to make a very active effort to escape it in ever more faucets of life.

I miss those days where the internet was large and expansive and free and novel, but also more isolated to a far smaller group of devices.
 
Vardalis said:
I think this encapsulates my entire thought on things. It used to be something I'd spend a few hours on and leave. Go back and play a game console. Pop in a DVD. Hang out with friends. Read books. Watch a movie or episode of a series with the family.

Now it's in everyone's pocket. Most of us work on it. Modern gaming is very closely tied to or fully reliant on it. A growing number of people are addicted to it. Now you have to make a very active effort to escape it in ever more faucets of life.

I miss those days where the internet was large and expansive and free and novel, but also more isolated to a far smaller group of devices.
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The Internet used to be an escape from reality, now reality is an escape from the Internet.
 
  • Actually "going online" as an activity, on the computer, not on a phone or tablet or console
  • Forum culture, games, signatures, forum drama to some extent lol
  • Random websites maintained by just one or two people
  • Internet mysteries and "urban legends"
  • Not being able to spoil myself on any game, movie or show minutes after it comes out
  • Chat programs like AIM and IIRC
  • Blogs and customizable websites
 
Minimal Advertisement? Those weren't annoying back then, Specially with how YouTube in particular is hellbent on shoving ads at you.
 
ChronoFiction said:
Minimal Advertisement? Those weren't annoying back then, Specially with how YouTube in particular is hellbent on shoving ads at you.
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This, and actually being related to the sites displaying them.

I remember not even minding ads that much when they made sense, like when they showed me retro products while browsing RetroJunk.
 
ChronoFiction said:
Minimal Advertisement? Those weren't annoying back then, Specially with how YouTube in particular is hellbent on shoving ads at you.
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The funniest thing is that most people wouldn't bother with adblocks if YT ads were just a banner somewhere on the side of your screen but noooooooo they just had to interrupt the videos. Maybe I'm the odd man out but I think adblocks actually help advertisers because if I had to suffer an ad in the middle of a vid I was watching that company would immediately land on my 'avoid at all cost' list. Same goes for the sponsorships Youtubers choose to take. I get that they need to put food on the table but I'm absolutely not considering buying what they're advertising, especially given the fact that a lot of the sponsor ads tend to be garbage products if not outright scams.
 
Personally I miss the old design the most. I just prefer the simple layout of sites back then compared to now.

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Used to play flash games on this obscure website and it was always full of finnish people who would beef with us british lol
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Similar to napster but people would always talk to you.
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Still have winamp but it hit different back then
 
I miss when Gaia was actually fun and active and not just about shoving paid currency into every orifice.
 
DjQuick2008 said:
Used to play flash games on this obscure website and it was always full of finnish people who would beef with us british lol
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Similar to napster but people would always talk to you.
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Still have winamp but it hit different back then
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That's why I use this Audacious on Linux. Basically Winamp with a different colour scheme.
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I miss the general guardedness of people, having thicker skin and people just knowing how to not overshare or give away stuff that can leave a trail to be followed and doxed. I also miss the ability to not live in fear of age verification via photo and handing over my ID just to access a chat site.
 
Sir Auriel of Lionel said:
I miss the general guardedness of people, having thicker skin and people just knowing how to not overshare or give away stuff that can leave a trail to be followed and doxed. I also miss the ability to not live in fear of age verification via photo and handing over my ID just to access a chat site.
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VPNs are a good friend right now
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MegaDrive1987 said:
That's why I use this Audacious on Linux. Basically Winamp with a different colour scheme.
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nice one i must check that out
 
DjQuick2008 said:
VPNs are a good friend right now
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nice one i must check that out
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No worries, let me know what you think.
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Mochi Panic said:
I miss when rage baiting and bad behavior wasn't rewarded with fame and money. Lowkey modern internet culture has made some of the worst people famous, and not even for reasons you could consider "earned". Actually talented and skilled people get ignored for loud, dumb, and lazy content.
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I remember when Youtubers would create avatars or come up with elaborate usernames to hide their identity and to keep their real world life and online life separate. Nowadays most people's usernames are just their actual, full name. Being a micro celebrity online really shifted people's opinion on privacy.
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This. It seems like society has been dumbed down somewhat if you ask me.
 
MegaDrive1987 said:
No worries, let me know what you think.
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This. It seems like society has been dumbed down somewhat if you ask me.
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I see a lot of that on tik tok. an only fans girl made 2 tik toks about me today because she thought id left her negative comments wasnt even about her and she lost her mind.
 
DjQuick2008 said:
I see a lot of that on tik tok. an only fans girl made 2 tik toks about me today because she thought id left her negative comments wasnt even about her and she lost her mind.
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Haha wow. She sounds like a typical drama queen.
 
MegaDrive1987 said:
Haha wow. She sounds like a typical drama queen.
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Yes total victim mentality. I dont really have time for people being snappy i dealt with it all in my retail job for 17 years i just hit the block button she can go rant at someone else and try make a fool out of them.
 
The Yahoo chats were fun at the time. I was less conscious of the control grid building up. Went on, camera, microphone, the lot. Wouldn't dream of it these days. Few beers, would visit different parts of the world cam to cam. Didn't realise the world would end up on our doorsteps. It's funny how something like that freedom to explore the world online turns into what we are experiencing today in a tyrannical form.
 
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