IMHO, old internet started to slowly die with the introduction of MySpace, Digg, and even 4chan, I call the period of 2006 to 2010 the slow decline era, then 2010 to 2016 the rapid decline era. 2016 to 2022 is the “classic centralized internet era”, and now we have the era of the “new centralized internet”, characterized by the peddling of far-right ideologies of these centralized platforms, alongside with the potential rebirth of the old, decentralized internet.
15-20 years or so ago. Whenever smartphones became the dominant communications tool, and pretty much everyone had access to the internet from their pocket square.
Been online since '93 myself at pretty much the dawn of the World Wide Web.
I remember cliques and a lack of online monoculture on Usenet and IRC before the World Wide Web even existed; the web exploded things even further, as did the privatization of DNS and takeover of funding by VCs and ad conglomerates. All that had happened by 1998.
Even then there were things that were more or less known in all corners of the Internet. You could mention things like SCP, ‘Charlie bit my finger’, or My Immortal on any forum and people there would recognize it.
Now it’s all fragmented. Someone can mention something that’s a massive phenomenon in one part of the platform and no one else on the same platform would recognise it. For example, I only recently heard about backrooms and apparently it has been a thing for half a decade. That’s a long time in internet years.
Online monoculture died when the normies finally got online and brought real life cliques to the internet.
When was this?
Asking as someone who’s been on the Internet since 1989.
I downloaded my first image from internet in 92, just took a prolonged coffee break (a couple of kilobytes small b&w image).
You must have been in an American uni?
IMHO, old internet started to slowly die with the introduction of MySpace, Digg, and even 4chan, I call the period of 2006 to 2010 the slow decline era, then 2010 to 2016 the rapid decline era. 2016 to 2022 is the “classic centralized internet era”, and now we have the era of the “new centralized internet”, characterized by the peddling of far-right ideologies of these centralized platforms, alongside with the potential rebirth of the old, decentralized internet.
the 1st of september 1993
You’re not an internet veteran if you didn’t get your start on ARPAnet
15-20 years or so ago. Whenever smartphones became the dominant communications tool, and pretty much everyone had access to the internet from their pocket square.
Been online since '93 myself at pretty much the dawn of the World Wide Web.
I remember cliques and a lack of online monoculture on Usenet and IRC before the World Wide Web even existed; the web exploded things even further, as did the privatization of DNS and takeover of funding by VCs and ad conglomerates. All that had happened by 1998.
Even then there were things that were more or less known in all corners of the Internet. You could mention things like SCP, ‘Charlie bit my finger’, or My Immortal on any forum and people there would recognize it.
Now it’s all fragmented. Someone can mention something that’s a massive phenomenon in one part of the platform and no one else on the same platform would recognise it. For example, I only recently heard about backrooms and apparently it has been a thing for half a decade. That’s a long time in internet years.
…backrooms?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Backrooms
https://knowyourmeme.com/editorials/guides/what-is-the-backrooms-and-where-is-it-located-in-real-life-the-viral-phenomenon-explained
I’m a little surprised there’s no reference to The House on Ash Tree Lane in that wiki article
Sometimes wish we could go back to BBS’s and MUDs