I wish I didn't miss the '90s-00s internet

Original Article ↗ Hacker News Discussion ↗

Overall nostalgia vs. realism

  • Many posters resonate with missing the 90s–00s “feel”: smaller, weirder, more personal, less corporate, more hopeful.
  • Others push back: the old net had slow dial‑up, awful search, rampant malware, constant crashes, unusable multimedia, and lots of low‑effort “under construction” pages.
  • Several argue what people really miss is being young and discovering tech, not the actual technology.

Commercialization, ads, and surveillance

  • Strong theme: the web shifted from hobbyist, non‑monetized content to profit‑driven platforms, surveillance capitalism, and engagement‑maximizing design.
  • Old banner ads are seen as far less harmful than today’s tracking, profiling, dark patterns, and data farming.
  • Some note commercialization enabled broadband, streaming, and huge services; others say the same outcomes could have been achieved without today’s adtech excess.

Social media, culture, and authenticity

  • Many blame social media (mid‑00s onward; iPhone/App Store often cited) for:
    • Replacing forums/IRC/blogs with addictive feeds and algorithmic manipulation.
    • Flattening personal expression into “profiles,” aesthetics, and follower metrics.
    • Turning sharing into performance and self‑branding instead of genuine community.
  • Counterpoint: most people like the current internet; social feeds are likened to channel‑surfing TV, with some real utility.

Communities: then vs. now

  • Forums, Usenet, IRC, mailing lists are remembered as smaller, topic‑focused, and less driven by corporate incentives.
  • Their decline and replacement by Discord and big platforms is widely lamented; chat is seen as bad for long‑term, searchable knowledge.
  • Some argue self‑hosting and small communities are still very possible but require more effort to moderate and defend against abuse.

Addiction, mental health, and youth

  • Posters, including younger ones, describe TikTok/Reels–style feeds as highly addictive and mentally corrosive.
  • Parents discuss strict limits and trying to allow “supportive tech” while blocking dopamine‑driven apps.
  • Generational perspectives differ: older users could “opt in” to social media; Gen Z often grew up immersed with less choice.

What to do now

  • Suggestions: build personal sites, join niche forums/IRC/Gemini, avoid recommendation feeds, use blockers, and be deliberate in online use.
  • Repeated motif: the “old internet” spirit still exists in pockets; it just isn’t what mainstream platforms surface.