[gambler]

I disagree. HN is definitely less insane than Reddit these days, but it's not representative of what Web 1.0 was like and felt like.

Everyone here would do well to read and understand this essay by Jaron Lanier:

https://www.edge.org/conversation/jaron_lanier-digital-maois...

I also recommend people revisit archives of some high-quality web forums and websites like Geocities. There is a lot of revisionism going on in tech sector right now. Conveniently, it's nearly impossible to challenge in a space where a handful of people can disappear your posts by downvoting and a conversation stays "relevant" only for a few hours.

[Melatonic]

There was also a lot less diversity (in some ways) however with Web 1. You were fairly likely to be talking to someone quite nerdy or at least with similar hobbies. The barrier to entry is also of course much lower now generally. I agree the upvote / downvote system can SOMETIMES disappear a valid opinion but I cannot currently think of a better way to self moderate discussions like we have here.

The same thing does happen to an extent during in person conversations but the barrier for both making a challenging statement and "downvoting" a challenging statement or action is higher.

HN may not be able to actually BE what Web 1.0 was but it seems to make an honest attempt at it in the modern world.