The internet feels smaller than it used to be.

[Shu]

I want to caveat that statement by saying that nothing is forever, and there is so much more possible with the internet now than there was, say, 13+ years ago or so. But it still feels small. Why is that?

Because fansites are falling by the wayside, and traditional message boards much like this one are long gone, for the most part. I can name massive communities that had dozens of new posts every day now are ghost towns. I guess you can kind of see why they didn't stand the test of time - places like >reddit, Twitter, etc. have made it way easier to investigate all your interests without opening several tabs, visiting several websites, or remembering a bunch of passwords. You log in once and all the community you need is at your fingertips.

But I think something was lost in that transition. Fifteen years ago, I could go out and look for a Fire Emblem fan-forum and if I didn't like the community vibe there, there was another active Fire Emblem forum that I could try that might have a totally different vibe, look, community, signatures and avatars and events and whatnot. Shit, it was probably in the affiliates! They truly felt like little villages dotted all across the endless net, and visiting different forums was a real treat just to see how it was different from the community that you yourself frequented.

I miss that. I miss how communities seemed to have so much more of an identity. Now, communities for interests on >reddit or twitter often feel like constantly rebirthing generations of faceless, nameless husks who do little to nothing to put color into the community in which they take part in. It's kinda sad.

But maybe I'm just getting old, and it's all rose colored glasses. Maybe nostalgia has a grip on me.

Hopefully you guys understand where I'm coming from, though.

 

[Shi_dawg]

It's bigger, just the number of sites worth giving a damn about has decreased. I totally get where your coming from, it can get very boring nowadays.

 

[naa]

It's bigger, just the number of sites worth giving a damn about has decreased. I totally get where your coming from, it can get very boring nowadays.

I think it's less friendly as a direct result of it being bigger, feels like people are less likely to take the time to talk to you.

 

[Shi_dawg]

I think it's less friendly as a direct result of it being bigger, feels like people are less likely to take the time to talk to you.

for some reason people get scared to strike up a conversation with someone on the internet like its the same as going up to a rando on the streets and trying to start a conversation, disregarding the purpose of social media and forums which is to bring communication to another level. It seems people take their internet personas a lot more seriously as an extension of ones self instead of a separate entity you can connect and/or disconnect from yourself at will. Bringing IRL conversational mannerisms into the online world doesn't work well because internet personas are very much the latter as the former is restrictive though it doesn't have to be. Of course, there are cases where you need to take things seriously, but it looks like its all you see from people today.

 

[Jaded Dreams]

for some reason people get scared to strike up a conversation with someone on the internet like its the same as going up to a rando on the streets and trying to start a conversation, disregarding the purpose of social media and forums which is to bring communication to another level. It seems people take their internet personas a lot more seriously as an extension of ones self instead of a separate entity you can connect and/or disconnect from yourself at will. Bringing IRL conversational mannerisms into the online world doesn't work well because internet personas are very much the latter as the former is restrictive though it doesn't have to be. Of course, there are cases where you need to take things seriously, but it looks like its all you see from people today.

I think its because the internet and reality have now merged in a way. People are scared to talk to others online because now total strangers can absolutely fuck up your life if they want to. Total strangers now have the ability to get you fired from your job for an edgy joke on the internet. So of course people are going to be scared to strike up a conversation on the internet now because there is a lot more risk now than there was, say, 30 years ago. Much like how talking to a rando on the streets can fuck you up if you do or say something wrong, the internet has become the same. Of course, this is just my personal observation there could be more to it than meets the eye.

 

[Aqepow]

Yeah you're right. For example look at this site. It's like a small part of heaven. The rest of the sites are monotonous political weapons.
I think a solution for that would be to make our own sites.

 

[IlluminatiPirate]

I think >reddit is really what helped killed a lot of forums because of the easy access that people have for their interest. Like if someone was interested in disco, photogprahpy, dancing, and graphic design. They can go to >reddit and sub to their interest but the problem is that it creates a monopoly and if you dont like the community, there is no where else to go. And the rampant censorship and the constant karma farming is horrendous on reddit.

 

[Shi_dawg]

I think its because the internet and reality have now merged in a way. People are scared to talk to others online because now total strangers can absolutely fuck up your life if they want to. Total strangers now have the ability to get you fired from your job for an edgy joke on the internet. So of course people are going to be scared to strike up a conversation on the internet now because there is a lot more risk now than there was, say, 30 years ago. Much like how talking to a rando on the streets can fuck you up if you do or say something wrong, the internet has become the same. Of course, this is just my personal observation there could be more to it than meets the eye.

yeah, that's exactly what I mean. Cancel culture has risen from people taking things way too serious, so i get why people might want to be more cautious. I dont know, the internet has changed a lot, mostly, in my opinion, for the worst, which is very sad to see.

 

[Shi_dawg]

Yeah you're right. For example look at this site. It's like a small part of heaven. The rest of the sites are monotonous political weapons.
I think a solution for that would be to make our own sites.

Btw, I completely encourage you to make whatever your going to make. Innovation in this community has been slow as hell in recent days. I'll help you in any limited way I can.

 

[Aqepow]

Btw, I completely encourage you to make whatever your going to make. Innovation in this community has been slow as hell in recent days. I'll help you in any limited way I can.

Thanks for encouraging ! Well mostly my 'creations' are not necessarily vapor-wave oriented, I like the aesthetics of old technology mixed with creepy stuff xD You could help me by giving feedback from time to time on what I want to do haha

 

[Kommando]

Corporations and streamlined sites like social networks and YouTube for videos instead of individual self-made ones plus search engines prioritizing those corporate websites and news articles over the independent websites is why. You used to browse the internet for 3 hours max 20 years ago in the days before web 2.0 and get exponentially more out of it than you do today because everything you see is bleak trite,it's become like TV and is now inescapeable in your life and now with being forced to stay in your house your job has followed you home as well. Geocities Japan shut down 2 years ago taking almost everything with it as no one bothered to archive it all, same with Flash in December.

 

[sicsicksicks]

A lot of it simply comes down to money. Massive corporate social media sites make profit and pay wages while sites like this by and large dont.

I dont think this vertical monopolization will be necessarily permanent. These big sites are starting to feel boring like TV. By its very nature the internet cant become TV 2.0 (without heavy regulation at least) and the bored mind tends to wander eventually.

 

[vaporwavemaster1]

このスレの意見にはある程度賛成です。インターネットは、人類がこれまでに集めた作品とコンテンツの最大のコレクションです。毎日何千ものサイトやメディアが削除されているため、インターネット上での時間の経過とともに、最初からそこにいた私たちにとって、インターネットがますます親しみを感じなくなることは避けられません。私が訪れたいと思っていたウェブサイトやビデオが、時間とともに失われてしまったものは何千もあります。彼らの多くはとてもクレイジーだったので、私が彼らのことを人に話すと、私は嘘をついていると言われました。

 

[Rikstah]

The internet is bigger, but somehow feels less free

 

[MugiNism]

I want to caveat that statement by saying that nothing is forever, and there is so much more possible with the internet now than there was, say, 13+ years ago or so. But it still feels small. Why is that?

Because fansites are falling by the wayside, and traditional message boards much like this one are long gone, for the most part. I can name massive communities that had dozens of new posts every day now are ghost towns. I guess you can kind of see why they didn't stand the test of time - places like >reddit, Twitter, etc. have made it way easier to investigate all your interests without opening several tabs, visiting several websites, or remembering a bunch of passwords. You log in once and all the community you need is at your fingertips.

But I think something was lost in that transition. Fifteen years ago, I could go out and look for a Fire Emblem fan-forum and if I didn't like the community vibe there, there was another active Fire Emblem forum that I could try that might have a totally different vibe, look, community, signatures and avatars and events and whatnot. Shit, it was probably in the affiliates! They truly felt like little villages dotted all across the endless net, and visiting different forums was a real treat just to see how it was different from the community that you yourself frequented.

I miss that. I miss how communities seemed to have so much more of an identity. Now, communities for interests on >reddit or twitter often feel like constantly rebirthing generations of faceless, nameless husks who do little to nothing to put color into the community in which they take part in. It's kinda sad.

But maybe I'm just getting old, and it's all rose colored glasses. Maybe nostalgia has a grip on me.

Hopefully you guys understand where I'm coming from, though.

Now ist just fewer sites that have a lot more people and it will get only worse. Also now for example a comunity from a site like >reddit people seem to all have the same opinion about topics. Like in a the r/gaming before cp2077 the consensus was that CDProyect Red = good, ea = bad, microtransactions = bad. But in a place like 4chan most people have different opinions and while the sites culture is way more agresive but actual discussion can happen. It usually happnes with sites that big.

 

[AnanaSUPREME]

I want to caveat that statement by saying that nothing is forever, and there is so much more possible with the internet now than there was, say, 13+ years ago or so. But it still feels small. Why is that?

Because fansites are falling by the wayside, and traditional message boards much like this one are long gone, for the most part. I can name massive communities that had dozens of new posts every day now are ghost towns. I guess you can kind of see why they didn't stand the test of time - places like >reddit, Twitter, etc. have made it way easier to investigate all your interests without opening several tabs, visiting several websites, or remembering a bunch of passwords. You log in once and all the community you need is at your fingertips.

But I think something was lost in that transition. Fifteen years ago, I could go out and look for a Fire Emblem fan-forum and if I didn't like the community vibe there, there was another active Fire Emblem forum that I could try that might have a totally different vibe, look, community, signatures and avatars and events and whatnot. Shit, it was probably in the affiliates! They truly felt like little villages dotted all across the endless net, and visiting different forums was a real treat just to see how it was different from the community that you yourself frequented.

I miss that. I miss how communities seemed to have so much more of an identity. Now, communities for interests on >reddit or twitter often feel like constantly rebirthing generations of faceless, nameless husks who do little to nothing to put color into the community in which they take part in. It's kinda sad.

But maybe I'm just getting old, and it's all rose colored glasses. Maybe nostalgia has a grip on me.

Hopefully you guys understand where I'm coming from, though.

Actually, that is true. The largest form factor format in the world right now is the smartphone. Not all sites had the funding or man power to create mobile adaptations of the experience. Looking for websites on the browser feels alien because the devices are optimized to load applications better... So if your service does not have an app or if that app doesn't behave, you lose the retainability of the service you're providing.

 

[AlmostHalf10]

All the social media sites have taken over the elements that used to make these sites unique and fun, at times they're even stealing each other's elements. (At the time people mocked instagram for taking Snapchat's story function after Snapchat refused to be bought by Facebook, I still recall the tweets of people laughing at the idea of an "Instagram story")
Same with Reels, Twitter introducing Fleets and even taking the Clubhouse concept and start Twitter spaces.

These big platforms have become so powerful at this point that independent social media apps and startups no longer stand a chance.

Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram pretty much have everything you need to stay in touch with your friends and family.

I personally still enjoy browsing Internet forums, though. I've been on Internet forums long before I joined social media in 2009 (I was surprisingly earlier on most platforms than anybody else within my social circle) and I still keep revisiting old forums I used to be active on and even look for new ones (Like I randomly came across this one)

The one community that I'm mostly active on that kinda feels like the last nostalgic Internet memory, is Newgrounds.

Believe it or not, throughout the 26 years this site exists, it has the most unique elements that YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter can learn from. Their forums are a bit of thin ice, but still fun once you get to know the regulars a bit better, but that site is still very great. Even most Flash games still work thanks to Ruffle.

One thing that we should really bring back are customizable profiles with colours and HTML tools, and gif avatars.

 

[MugiNism]

All the social media sites have taken over the elements that used to make these sites unique and fun, at times they're even stealing each other's elements. (At the time people mocked instagram for taking Snapchat's story function after Snapchat refused to be bought by Facebook, I still recall the tweets of people laughing at the idea of an "Instagram story")
Same with Reels, Twitter introducing Fleets and even taking the Clubhouse concept and start Twitter spaces.

These big platforms have become so powerful at this point that independent social media apps and startups no longer stand a chance.

Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram pretty much have everything you need to stay in touch with your friends and family.

I personally still enjoy browsing Internet forums, though. I've been on Internet forums long before I joined social media in 2009 (I was surprisingly earlier on most platforms than anybody else within my social circle) and I still keep revisiting old forums I used to be active on and even look for new ones (Like I randomly came across this one)

The one community that I'm mostly active on that kinda feels like the last nostalgic Internet memory, is Newgrounds.

Believe it or not, throughout the 26 years this site exists, it has the most unique elements that YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter can learn from. Their forums are a bit of thin ice, but still fun once you get to know the regulars a bit better, but that site is still very great. Even most Flash games still work thanks to Ruffle.

One thing that we should really bring back are customizable profiles with colours and HTML tools, and gif avatars.

when something like social media becames massive it becomes samey and unnoriginal.

 

[Kommando]

The internet was something you went out of your way to use before smartphones and growing popularity of social networks so the people who did do as such had a purpose to be there and wanted to use the internet. With smartphones and rise of social networks the masses joined in and formed a cyclical relationship with corporations/elite/ruling class as is their nature that lead to what we have now, no secret clubhouse to have fun and relax in but another aspect of your life that if you opt out of will ostracize you from society. The same generally applies to real life: too many people come into a community and change it themselves until the whole place's culture gets wittled down to a lowest common denominator of what won't offend the masses or offput them by being not being inclusive.

Social networks are penned feeding grounds and places to merely talk to each other like text messaging and A/V call rather than a place that happens to be digital which comes full circle as the first computer communication networks was the BBS. They're also designed to get you to keep browsing for hours on end from the endless news feed scroll and faux wealth of content, a constant stream of close-minded mental poison from the fat head of the average citizen.

 

[FlangerFobia]

Web 2.0 killed everything