*20

    • whatisallthis@lemm.ee
      1·
      3 years ago

      We were not prepared, as a species, for a device that let us come up with any opinion at all and find validation for it.

      It used to be that when you had an opinion that was wrong, you’d say it out loud a number of times, and you’d notice that everyone around you would call you an imbecile and ridicule you. It would make you reassess yourself and grow as a person.

      Now that societal failsafe is gone. Now people just aren’t challenged for holding the wrong opinion.

      That was an integral part of growing up and maturing. We don’t have a solution for it.

  • Kowowow@lemmy.ca
    1·
    3 years ago

    I used to wonder why my mom mistrusted online banking so much but looking back at the free programs I downloaded plus limewire it makes sense

  • arglebargle@lemm.eeEnglish
    1·
    3 years ago

    I am still active in several forums. They are great and have even more of a sense of community them they used to. People talk about the subject and even meet in person around the world.

    I also host a forum for a different group. No ads either cause fuck that shit.

  • TimewornTraveler@lemm.ee
    0·
    3 years ago

    Internet absolutely was better 15 years ago. Everything is paywalled now and there’s constant disinformation. Algorithms feed you bullshit and people all post outrage bait to get attention. Not saying that stuff didn’t exist 15 years ago, but it’s absolutely become the dominant experience online.

    Hardware has gotten better though!

  • ch00f@lemmy.world
    0·
    3 years ago

    I remember downloading what I thought was a no-CD crack for some game from Kazaa.

    It was an app that locked my screen, opened a window, and systematically deleted every folder in my main C: drive before crashing. Then the screen went black and a message popped up that said “Thank god it’s only a game.”

    The exe was an ad for some indie Doomclone FPS game where the levels were your computer’s file structure and the walls of the rooms would be decorated with the images stored in your folders. I shut down my machine after that. I was shaking for the next hour.

    If anyone knows the game, I’d love to learn what it was all about.