[parpfish]

i can't help that think a big part of what made the internet special was that it wasn't for everybody back in the day.

it used to be that only certain types of people had the means and interest to be there. going there was like venturing into a world that was created and maintained by people that were all a little... weird. if you were also somebody that was also a little weird, it was a nice escape and gave a sense of belonging because the default way of being was "a little weird".

but now the internet is mainstream. the internet populus mirrors the real world populus. it's not built by and for nerds and academics and startrek obsessives anymore, it's built to serve the needs of the normal and popular people because normal people are now the modal people on the internet.

there are still pockets where you can find your weirdo kin, but you need to look for them. and the fact that you need to look for them kind of ruins the old allure where you could imagine what a parallel universe run by people like you would be like.