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The fun has been optimized out of the Internet

muddy.jprs.me

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Re: The fun has been optimized out of the Internet

#181

Post by ninth_ant »

joe_mamba wrote: post #105
doctorwho42 wrote: post #81

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Lower cost of living and higher incomes when compared to purchasing power of a dollar.

That and also people weren't paying for Netflix, Disney+, PlayStation online, ChatGPT+, etc Edit: Also people were having more kids back then and earlier in life, so they had less time for hobbies and "finding one's self", they'd be busy with their kids and work. The bored DINKS with free time looking for hobbies is a relatively recent phenomenon in western societies (10-15 years).

> That and also people weren't paying for Netflix, Disney+, PlayStation online, ChatGPT+, etc

Its disingenuous to describe those new expenses without considering those that largely have been replaced.

It used to be normal to pay for cable TV which was outrageously expensive. They used to go to movie theatres on a regular basis, and collect physical media for movies and music and games and tv. Etc.

Re: The fun has been optimized out of the Internet

#182

Post by vinceguidry »

functionmouse wrote: post #2

I agree, but it's been said by all... make homebrew software for an old Nintendo console pick up cross stitching or weaving make an independent film with a friend; use stuff from your kitchen as props find a borderline functional instrument at your local thrift store write a 1 page short story in pen it's not enough anymore to merely criticize this bad time we're having

all of these things are not internet.

Re: The fun has been optimized out of the Internet

#184

Post by GMoromisato »

apsurd wrote: post #163
clickety_clack wrote: post #157

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you feel that way then you have to question what it is that you’re doing that puts you in a place where you are made to feel that way. Many people (most that I know) don’t feel that way. It may be the online communities that you are in or the news you consume, and the great news about that is that is stuff that is not only optional; you choose to consume it. You can just stop consuming it.

You can feel how you feel and understand how and why people feel how they feel too. Instead, reads like you're blaming the victim. Shoulda worked harder in school!

If my choice is "work harder in school" or "wait for the system to fix itself" I think the rational choice is the former.

Wisdom is accepting that you can only control what you can control, and to focus on that.

Re: The fun has been optimized out of the Internet

#185

Post by vardalab »

munificent wrote: post #53

I have a pet theory that much of what we're seeing culturally is that the 90s and early 2000s (at least in the US) was a window of time that offered a sense of safety and surplus. 9/11 was extremely culturally disruptive, but aside from that, for many in the US, it felt like there was "enough to go around". That environment breeds a lot of creativity, innovation, whimsy, and doing things for their own sake. But that…

I think it's as simple as Citizens United and wealth inequality exploding.

Re: The fun has been optimized out of the Internet

#186

Post by dividefuel »

My take is the shift to mobile is what really caused the biggest change in the Internet.

By the mid/late 2000s, the UX for surfing the Web was mostly pretty good. Navigating to another site was as easy as typing in its URL or issuing a quick search.

Navigating the Web on mobile is much more difficult -- even 15+ years later simple things like browser tabs are a nuisance on mobile. Typing URLs is still a pain. Etc. That extra friction for more traditional Web browsing led to users preferring simpler apps that they didn't have to navigate from, including content that was less interactive. And social media companies were quite happy to exploit that and create endless feeds of content. People who create content followed suit and went were the eyeballs were.

Also, before mobile, using the Internet largely meant sitting down at a computer and browsing the Internet somewhat interrupted for a period of time. With mobile, Internet use became more far more disjointed. You might browse for a series of 2 minute spurts in between other activities, rather than having a dedicated sitdown browsing session. This also rewarded the 'feed' that instantly provided you something to do, without you having to put in effort to find it.

Re: The fun has been optimized out of the Internet

#187

Post by the_real_cher »

yifanl wrote: post #69
munificent wrote: post #53

I have a pet theory that much of what we're seeing culturally is that the 90s and early 2000s (at least in the US) was a window of time that offered a sense of safety and surplus. 9/11 was extremely culturally disruptive, but aside from that, for many in the US, it felt like there was "enough to go around". That environment breeds a lot of creativity, innovation, whimsy, and doing things for their own sake. But that…

Realizing that the average CS graduate can't expect to make 100k on a career of centering divs has been more disruptive to the the American psyche than 9/11.

How reductionist.

Re: The fun has been optimized out of the Internet

#190

Post by jrowen »

pragma_x wrote: post #126

A vantage point from a very long time ago: The big social media services are pining for the days of CompuServe and Prodigy. - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CompuServe - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prodigy_(online_service) Old, pre-internet AOL is also in the same category. These are what I refer to as "walled garden" services, that existed up to and (for a short time) through the commericialization of the net in th…

This is a great point. Us millenials all look at AOL through rosy colored glasses as part of the halcyon days of the free internet, but there was probably just as much depressing corporate overlord bullshit going on, we just thought it was fun that they printed billions of garbage CDs!
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