[seanw444]

Yeah when I first discovered this site in like 2017, it seemed to be a place of tech-literate counter-culture folks. Now the counter-culture seems to be non-existent, and actually looked down on.

At this point, the majority of the comments I read sound like a CNN anchor script. Ha, maybe it's their web developers.

[akimball]

The greater the threat which a community represents to the vested control hierarchy, the more intensely it becomes infiltrated and coopted. This is an Iron Law.

[akimball]

As evidence, see the moderation immediately above.

[jasonlotito]

> when I first discovered this site in like 2017, it seemed to be a place of tech-literate counter-culture folks.

Yep. I could see why you would think that.

> Now the counter-culture seems to be non-existent, and actually looked down on.

What changed?

> At this point, the majority of the comments I read sound like a CNN anchor script.

There it is. Your attitude. Your comment.

HN is still mostly what it was when I first joined. The issue isn't that HN isn't counter-culture.

Rather, you aren't.

[_ktx2]

One thing to recognize is that HN has had an influx of new users that are pretty right wing, at times using veiled far right speech. Years ago, it was filled with people who had stock very left wing (at times ridiculous) views that I wouldn't call "counter-culture" either. I only know this because I've had to report many of them.

My hypothesis is that each of these groups come here after being kicked out or pushed out of wherever they usually hang out. The ones that remain on HN after a period of time are the ones that dang doesn't wear out via moderation or haven't been outright banned. They eventually learn to be good HN members and then stay.