Internet Nostalgia

FortuitousFluke

FortuitousFluke

FortuitousFluke

Soldato
Joined
7 Jul 2011
Posts
4,418
Location
Cambridgeshire
So this came about due to a discussion in another thread about the evolution of the word "troll" (don't get me started on pronunciation either). Back when I started using the internet (probably mid to late 90's) a troll was a relatively harmless person who basically poked fun on message boards and forums. Usually it would just be harmless stuff like outlandish comments or suckering people into believing something that clearly was untrue. A good troll (few and far between as I consider that it was a bit of an artform) was extremely valuable to an online community and generally speaking were quite well thought of in many circles.

Fast forward to today and the word troll has become synonymous with chumps who like to sling abuse and make death threats.

This all got me thinking, the internet has changed so much from the days when I first started using it, AOL dial up and all. I guess some of the things I miss about those days is the closeness of the communities that existed, coupled with the feeling that everything was brand new, and that new grounds were constantly being trodden. These days the internet feels like a sprawling and dehumanised web of stuff I've seen before. That's not universally true of course, good communities like OCUK still exist, and obviously innovation happens everyday, but because of the scope involved I suppose it no longer feels wholly innovative.

So I was kind of wondering how people here feel about the ways in which the internet has evolved over their lifetimes. Is it constantly evolving and improving or are there really big aspects that you truly miss from the days when you first started using it?

As I said in the previous thread there's a good chance I'm old before my time but a bit of nostalgia is good for the soul, though I suppose this could devolve into a heated argument over the continued relevance of ASCII art.
 
Uz1t8bH.gif
 
it's evolving, every tom richard and harry has some form of online prescence now, especially with social media.

i like to think of the internet like a massive room filled with every aspect of humanity, what irks me is when people start flapping on like the internet has created something new, it hasn't. all the internet has done for us is make everything we used to do before much easier; from amazon replacing the old mail order catalogs, using wikipedia instead of subscribing to encyclopedia brittanica, using facebook instead of keeping a list of all your freinds up to date and writing letters to them, using ebay rather than travelling to an actual auction house, gumtree instead of the classifieds, forums instead of clubs etc etc

we shouldn't be surprised that if the internet has held a magnifying glass up to humanity to make everything easier to see then it'll show the bad just as much as the good.

terrorism? drugs trade? death threats? racism? paedophilia? are we seriously going to suggest that none of that existed before the internet? because that would just be stupid.

as for the evolution of the word troll, i'd direct you to south park series 13 episode 12- words change meaning, be it for good or for bad. and sadly when it's the tides of the public making the change there's not much can be done to stop it.
 
░░░░▄▄▄▄▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▄▄▄▄▄▄
░░░░█░░░░▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒░░▀▀▄
░░░█░░░▒▒▒▒▒▒░░░░░░░░▒▒▒░░█
░░█░░░░░░▄██▀▄▄░░░░░▄▄▄░░░█
░▀▒▄▄▄▒░█▀▀▀▀▄▄█░░░██▄▄█░░░█
█▒█▒▄░▀▄▄▄▀░░░░░░░░█░░░▒▒▒▒▒█
█▒█░█▀▄▄░░░░░█▀░░░░▀▄░░▄▀▀▀▄▒█
░█▀▄░█▄░█▀▄▄░▀░▀▀░▄▄▀░░░░█░░█
░░█░░▀▄▀█▄▄░█▀▀▀▄▄▄▄▀▀█▀██░█
░░░█░░██░░▀█▄▄▄█▄▄█▄████░█
░░░░█░░░▀▀▄░█░░░█░███████░█
░░░░░▀▄░░░▀▀▄▄▄█▄█▄█▄█▄▀░░█
░░░░░░░▀▄▄░▒▒▒▒░░░░░░░░░░█
░░░░░░░░░░▀▀▄▄░▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒░█
░░░░░░░░░░░░░░▀▄▄▄▄▄░░░░░█
 
I really miss the time when IRC was properly popular. People from all over the (English-speaking) world talking absolute nonsense. I met some genuine friends on there who I still talk to regularly.
 
I miss the time when google image results weren't swamped by pinterest results!

It's rather amazing how far things have come since billboards too!
 
I think it's been said before on this forum as these kinds of 'net nostalgia threads have appeared numerous times - the internet is infinitely more useful today but much, much less interesting.

I do miss how esoteric it used to be. Usenet, IRC, online gaming... They were the refuge of the damned.

The popularity of Instagram confounds me. I'm a crazy old man.
 
I agree with what Adolf Hamster said tho what i would say is i wish the internet existed as it does now, ie fast speeds, ebay, wikipedia ect without the dominance of Social Media, i use a lot of social media platforms of course but i am not a massive fan, a lot of it is all about show (instagram proves this) and is a fake reflection of that persons life
 
I still talk to some friends regularly through IRC, but a lot of it is being replaced by WhatsApp international and Facebook. The whole channel system just seemed so much more efficient than creating group chats for every individual need and picking out what spam I wanted to read and what I didn't was much easier with linear text rather than speech bubble graphics and endless scrolling. Skype is nowhere near as good as old MSN discussions.
 
first joined in 1993 with a 14.4 modem on compuserve. That was before the UK had many sites (certainly no urls on adverts) and email addresses were numbers not names (ie, [email protected]). Boots.co.uk and boots.com domain was available for purchase.

was involved in numerous scene groups over the years, won an award on aol for some techy stuff, banned from ukonline for running an adult site on their servers, beta tested virgins cable modem (before virgin had a cable modem, had to buy my own at £400)

not the same anymore, full of idiots
 
One thing that gets me and is slightly controversial is "cyber bullying". I just do not get it. I come from a world before the internet when growing up and having ZX81 onwards so it never used to exist.

I was actually bullied at school so I know what its like but to do it over a phone or PC what I do not understand is how some words on a screen can affect someone so badly. Just dont use it. Dont read it. When you are bullied physically its harder to ignore and maybe this is why I dont understand how people can be affected by it from just words on a screen. I ended my bullying by this one person by one day punching him in the face on the same day he decided to also pick on the tallest boy in the school who then pummeled him. Bullying stopped and at secondary school we ended up being friends. I guess it must cause people distress as it can drive people to alsorts of depression etc but I just do not get it.
 
varkanoid said:
One thing that gets me and is slightly controversial is "cyber bullying". I just do not get it. I come from a world before the internet when growing up and having ZX81 onwards so it never used to exist.

I was actually bullied at school so I know what its like but to do it over a phone or PC what I do not understand is how some words on a screen can affect someone so badly. Just dont use it. Dont read it. When you are bullied physically its harder to ignore and maybe this is why I dont understand how people can be affected by it from just words on a screen. I ended my bullying by this one person by one day punching him in the face on the same day he decided to also pick on the tallest boy in the school who then pummeled him. Bullying stopped and at secondary school we ended up being friends. I guess it must cause people distress as it can drive people to alsorts of depression etc but I just do not get it.
Click to expand...

Its not just words though. How about posting images of someone on facebook and the entire school seeing it. Quite possibly worse for a young kid than just getting duffed up a bit.
 
chroniclard said:
Its not just words though. How about posting images of someone on facebook and the entire school seeing it. Quite possibly worse for a young kid than just getting duffed up a bit.
Click to expand...

Indeed, usually ends up worse than in person because of this as there's a wider audience.
 
Cyber bullying is nasty.
You used to just get pasted at school, now you go home and get verbal all evening too.

Yeah stay off the net, it's really not just that easy to sever the communication methods that everyone uses.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom