[theshrike79]

I grew up when everyone was saying "don't post your face, name or address on the internet" - and that's what I've done. There are a total of maybe 3-6 pictures of me on the internet and my real name isn't attached to most of my brainfarts online.

It's not that I hide it like a secret agent, I just don't shove my face and name next to every opinion I have.

But the younger generations... They grew up with Snapchat which means Snap Streaks, which again means posting your face with every message. Next was Facebook, real names everywhere. Then came "personal branding", again face and name plastered everywhere.

And now governments want to lock in the real name + face + identity combo for everyone with laws. Fuck that.

[giancarlostoro]

> There are a total of maybe 3-6 pictures of me on the internet

Incorrect, you are probably in the background of random photos on the internet, and by virtue of not having any profiles and social media sites can tag you and form a shadow profile around you.

[intended]

I still remember conversations here on HN, around the time Facebook was launched. It was considered insanity that you would give up your privacy to a firm.

I remember how that what seemed absurdly risky, meant absolutely nothing to the average person, and the astronomic value Facebook began to accumulate.

I wonder if it wasn't social media that set up the death spiral of the internet. The walled gardens on content and then the ad revenue created incentives to increase engagement, while capturing the value which would have gone to the open internet.

In that light, it seems AI firms are going to complete what Social Media started. Sequestering the remaining value of information and content, and then earning rents on it.

[frankharv]

I didn't see it that way. when Facebook started it was like an intimate club.

Classmates.com was charging money for reunion information and Facebook was free.

It was the IPO that really tipped the scales.

In that one day Zuck became a Billionaire with everybody else's information.

We were bamboozled. Subscription versus free but not really.