It was for sure toxic af, but a lot less commercial. Actually the early internet was incredibly hostile to corps, but then the banner ads came, and the eyeballs, and the ads started actually making more money than just server costs, and it was all over.
There was always a tacit understanding you were coming into someone’s house. Sometimes quite literally. The server for a forum I used for 20+ years was in various apartment closets most of that time. House rules, so to speak, weren’t controversial.
Now everyone’s used to using centralized commercial servers for rent, with things like ads and liability insurance. Social media is considered a public space, even when it isn’t.
I’m reminded of some business-person(?) saying that people often forget that “store this on the cloud” is basically saying “store this on someone else’s computer”. I have used this reframing a few times to help ground discussions around data infrastructure.
Social media is considered a public space, even when it isn’t.
Like when people claim their right to free speech was denied because a privately-owned website banned them. They seem to think that if a platform allows them to speak publically, it’s the same as saying something out in a public street.
In reality, it’s more like being in a venue with an open mic - it’s a private (and likely commercial) space by default. If you go up on stage and say something the owners or managers don’t like, you absolutely can be kicked out for it. Private websites, including social media, are the same way.
completely ahistorical, the Internet has had the same problems for basic its entire existence
It was for sure toxic af, but a lot less commercial. Actually the early internet was incredibly hostile to corps, but then the banner ads came, and the eyeballs, and the ads started actually making more money than just server costs, and it was all over.
Online tolling and raging have been around far longer than the mid 2000s.
If anything I’d say the Internet has gotten nicer overall.
There was always a tacit understanding you were coming into someone’s house. Sometimes quite literally. The server for a forum I used for 20+ years was in various apartment closets most of that time. House rules, so to speak, weren’t controversial.
Now everyone’s used to using centralized commercial servers for rent, with things like ads and liability insurance. Social media is considered a public space, even when it isn’t.
I’m reminded of some business-person(?) saying that people often forget that “store this on the cloud” is basically saying “store this on someone else’s computer”. I have used this reframing a few times to help ground discussions around data infrastructure.
Like when people claim their right to free speech was denied because a privately-owned website banned them. They seem to think that if a platform allows them to speak publically, it’s the same as saying something out in a public street.
In reality, it’s more like being in a venue with an open mic - it’s a private (and likely commercial) space by default. If you go up on stage and say something the owners or managers don’t like, you absolutely can be kicked out for it. Private websites, including social media, are the same way.
Yeah, i remember the fucking aim chat bots fucking ruining everything