It was so fun back then. Not the yelling and moaning we have going on today.
Here on Lemmy, even in non-political discussions some is always whining about the current president or whatever.
Or calling for alt voices to be banned.
Back in the 80’s computer stuff and conversation was more fun and not so freakin’ political.
It was about games, DYI, trying to learn to hack, learning the new tech. It was awesome!
I was part of it, but not as much as I could have been because I was in a small town and couldn’t afford a lot. But I def had a foot in the scene, and it was awesome!
Hmmm, maybe. But I don’t remember it being nearly as prominent right now. Here on Lemmy, post a picture of a cute dog and prepare for replies with variations of, “Yeah, well now that Trump is president, get used to not being able to afford a dog!” or “Wow, look at that. I’ll never be able to afford a house now. Since fascists voted in a dictator. The closest I’ll get to a dog is having to eat dog food because it’s all I can afford on my way to the deathcamps!”
Ugh, it just EVERYWHERE now. Also back then it seemed to be smarter people arguing because the cost of admission was higher to get into the computer world–both in intelligence and money.
But to your point, I wasn’t THAT smart or rich, so I guess I was never in the hardcore argument worlds. I was reading BASIC magazine and trying to write cool programs that showed colored lines. BBS was more of “OMG I am talking to someone in another state without using the mail!” lolol
That’s just raw numbers.
If one in 100,000 people are total shitheels, in an environment with a million users (and I don’t think FidoNet was anywhere NEAR that size ever!) you’ve got ten total shitheels.
Today there’s 5.5 billion people on the Internet. That would be over half a million total shitheels that can interact with you.
Totally agree. It’s all about the numbers, and that also makes the modern internet such a hostile place. You can think of any marginal group you would rarely encounter, or worry about IRL, but in the Internet, that tiny percentage translates to thousands or even millions of people.
It’s not just assholes and idiots either. This applies to thieves, blackmailers, creeps, and all the other kinds of people you would not want to sit next to in a crowded bus. There are easily several thousand of each type.