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AIBU?

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Original poster

To miss the Internet of old?

25 replies

Featuredcreature · 04/03/2022 21:29

I just think 10 or 15 years ago the Internet was a much more cooperative place. Actual conversations were more apparent, people were less likely to label people right wing or mental or this or that. What happened?

OP posts:
Rosewaterblossom · 04/03/2022 21:47

I don't think it was. I've been on mn for 15 years and remember having my arse handed to me several times back then! Internet trolling in general was rife as people realised they could be vile with the benefit of being anonymous.

lovelyweathertoday · 04/03/2022 21:53

I was on Guardian Talk back then, it was brutal!

SalmonEile · 04/03/2022 21:55

Yes and no,
I spent a lot of time being told “to go to the kitchen and make a sandwich” if I dared to argue with a man about pretty much anything so I don’t miss that , I guess I like that there’s more spaces and more people active online
The downside to the current internet is anything can be copied and shared instantly across multiple platforms and accounts but I suppose that’s a good reminder to think before you post

Nitgel · 04/03/2022 21:59

I do agree, I am surprised when I read my old messages on mn how free it was. And easier to have a laugh and be open.

ShavingTheBadger · 04/03/2022 22:00

I miss not having to click a cookies button before I read a web page, and I miss not having bloody pop ups.

Alicesweewonders · 04/03/2022 22:03

I agree, loved the discussion boards on Facebook, miss them.

ComeOnSpringtime · 04/03/2022 22:23

Yes and no.

Yes, because it was simpler then due to tech being less advanced.

No, because the nastiness was still bad, if not worse, then because some laws we have in place now weren't in place then. It may seem worse now but it's probably because people were still finding their feet with using online spaces then.

To summariseSmile, it was a simpler time but not the best time in terms of nastiness and what people could get away with.

RobynMyEmployer · 04/03/2022 22:34

There were still nasty people about but not the same level of belief policing and performance anguish we see today. Hordes of people just waiting with dripping fangs to pounce on their victim and decry them as the 'worst person ever' whilst playing the victim themselves.

I feel I've seen a much bigger increase in cunty behaviour from the left in the last 1-2 decades. The right were more often associated with racism, intolerance, snobbery, etc, in the past. Whereas now there seems to be a lot of intolerance that masquerades as virtue.

Stinkywizzleteets · 04/03/2022 22:38

I miss the internet of 20+ years ago.
Disagreements weren’t trolling. Trolling was winding people up rather than deliberately nasty. Forums were the norm and no Zuckerberg censorship crap. I loved garish 90s websites too.

raffle · 04/03/2022 22:42

A/S/L?
Grin

CounsellorTroi · 04/03/2022 22:55

I loved the old BBC discussion boards.

Itsnotover · 04/03/2022 22:59

YANBU and there wasn’t so much trolling. I don’t miss dial-up (but I guess that was 20+ years ago).

lljkk · 04/03/2022 22:59

Usenet (1980s) could be harsh & creepy.
But very very witty too bit like MN used to be more funny than anything else

Itsnotover · 04/03/2022 22:59

@CounsellorTroi

I loved the old BBC discussion boards.
Me too! The Olympics ones were great.
BusinessMindThoughts · 04/03/2022 23:06

@Itsnotover

YANBU and there wasn’t so much trolling. I don’t miss dial-up (but I guess that was 20+ years ago).
Trolling in those days meant deliberately derailing discussion to waste everyone's time and get them frustrated.

The internet today is 90% this imo...

Itsnotover · 04/03/2022 23:15

That was never the definition of trolling on MN.

SarahAndQuack · 04/03/2022 23:20

This same discussion was being had on AIBU ten years ago, I remember ...

Scarby9 · 04/03/2022 23:30

I miss googlewhacks.
For those too young to remember, you put two words into an internet search engine, and the search only yielded one result. Dave Gorman did a whole TV series about them, I think.

TacoCats · 04/03/2022 23:32

I don't miss the mind numbing Facebook statuses about Susan just finishing her washing up and now having a cup of tea before ironing every 5 minutes Grin but yes I miss the old internet even old YouTube!

TacoCats · 04/03/2022 23:32

And neopets!

Paddingtonismyspiritanimal · 04/03/2022 23:41

Web 1.0 nostalgia here.

Not sure if it was a more cooperative place, but I miss the simplicity of the early days online.

ClariceQuiff · 04/03/2022 23:50

The internet went shit in circa 1998.

Xiaoxiong · 04/03/2022 23:55

It might have been simpler but it wasn't nicer. I cut my teeth on the SomethingAwful boards starting in '01, and was very briefly on 4chan when moot left SA. I was in it for the memes and photoshopping, but eventually I grew up and realised it was a completely immature and toxic culture.

Much prefer Mumsnet Grin

mariepopp · 05/03/2022 02:20

I remember a chatroom place called Handbag. It was great fun, some really entertaining posts.

BusinessMindThoughts · 05/03/2022 08:45

@Itsnotover

That was never the definition of trolling on MN.
Made-up threads have always been referred to as "troll threads" on MN. I'm sure people misused the term but it's what trolling means: en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_troll
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