The Golden Age of the Internet Is Over

The modern day internet and the direction it's going with social media and online communication may be viewed as...dystopian for some, and with good reason. But things weren't always this way, in fact, there was once a time where things were far more hopeful than they are today. The internet forums, the old youtube, message boards, meme sites, and overall a much more expressive era. Perhaps there are lessons to be learned from that time period, from the golden age of the internet.
Speaking of social media, I try to keep mine as non-toxic and positive as possible. Below are some links to sites where I occasionally post extra content and share things publicly. Also, I've brought back my patreon but it will be on a per-video basis instead of monthly. Appreciate all the support and feedback as always.
PATREON: / glink
TWITTER: / glinklive
INSTAGRAM: glink_betwe...
VEXXED'S CHANNEL: / @vexxed
SECOND CHANNEL: / @glinkthink
NEW DISCORD (NO TOXICITY):
/ discord
Intro animation created by Blordow
/ blordow
Wasting Time - The Social Media Song
Performed by Slush: / samfdigital
Arrangement/mix by Ikanaide: ikanaide_music?s=09
SONG CREDITS:
Low Fi Mario Mix - • Super Mario World Game...
Classic Rooftop Run [NeoGenesis Remix] - • Classic Rooftop Run [N...
The Impression That I Get [8 Bit Tribute to The Mighty Mighty Bosstones] - 8 Bit Universe - • The Impression That I ...
Hurricane feat. Andrew Applepie by Joakim Karud - • Hurricane feat. Andrew...

[@GlinkBetweenWorlds]

UPDATE: Im aware this was briefly on front page of reddit and r/videos (which is amazing)! And it was later removed, some people thought it was shadowbanning or something suspicious, but truth is I have been banned from that sub since 2017 (a few friends used to post my vids, without my asking), so its a legitimate post removal if anyone was curious. Either way I do appreciate the support and Im glad people resonated with this video, thats all I could ask for. You can check out my social media links in the video description if interested.

[@peets4833]

why were you banned to begin with?

[@lukeshioshio]

Glink He’s lying

[@bruisedbug]

reddit mods drooling all over their keyboard

[@rich-3380]

I knew it! I was going crazy searching this all over reddit, I was wondering why it just disappeared. Awesome Vid still man.

[@GlinkBetweenWorlds]

Peets friends used their accounts to promote my vids years ago, was considered self promotion

[@MattRoszak]

The internet used to be a cool place to escape from real life. Now I return to real life to escape the internet...

[@nihilisticgod8974]

Yes, this is true.

[@yualwayscmecommenting3074]

Needs more likes wtf people

[@unreal_9998]

OK BOOMER

[@thesolarrepublic9268]

Here's a thought. Why not focus on making your real-life a life you don't have to escape from?

[@yualwayscmecommenting3074]

@@thesolarrepublic9268 ok. Done. But now they are trying to escape the internet, so I guess they will have to make the internet a place they don't want to escape from..

[@jacksonblack9408]

The internet was great when it was a retreat from the world. Now it -is- the world.

[@Juan_rivera]

There's a meme that says this, going out is a retreat from the internet

[@chrisrosenkreuz23]

volving and revolving as the cycle goes

[@chlum6295]

it reminds me of that boomer meme which goes like: 1996: boutta take a break from reality (goes on the internet) 2016: boutta take a break from reality (goes outside) sound bad but kinda has a point.

[@TheFlyingTurtleArchive]

Very 14. Very deep.

[@jacksonblack9408]

@@TheFlyingTurtleArchive 14? Like 14 turtles? What the f is 14 turtles mean!

[@justanormaldudeontheintern3375]

It’s funny how the the golden age of most types of media ended when corporations became part of the equation.

[@FredDurst1]

Corporatism is the death of creativity

[@mannhouse8014]

Teddy Roosevelt must be doing barrel rolls in his grave at the current state of things.

[@Asrob1001]

@@FredDurst1 damn straight Fred Durst.

[@Megamon0001]

We could have plenty of gold ages related to media and tech. The only thing in the way is corporate greed

[@SLOWMONUTKICK]

As soon as money became available, the big boys arrived.

[@carsarenice]

For me the internet died after 2015 everything just went downhill, especially when politicians, corporations, and news outlets started using it for commercialization.

[@auravisionsdeluxe2885]

Yeah, everything is more political now... Even the trends... Treating minorities like fashion even started to catch on then... People will eventually move on to the next minority that is trending and do activism on that one, then they eventually lose interest in being vocal about X minority and move on to the next one... That's questionable, really... I don't mean any harm at all but why are we treating stuff like that as a trend? Why are things political? Why can't we just have fun?

[@carsarenice]

@@auravisionsdeluxe2885 Dude yes it’s like with the Alt community like what happened to worrying about band tour dates or band breakups or looking forward to new albums nope it’s all about politics, sexuality, and bs activism.

[@auravisionsdeluxe2885]

@@carsarenice Yeah...

[@tiruliru1189]

@@carsarenice For me the golden age started in 2010 but died in 2015. 2016 was the beginning of the downfall imo

[@THXIIIRTEEN]

@@tiruliru1189 sorry to disagree but why 2010? Seems way too late, I think KZbin was a better place before KZbinrs started click baiting, having super corny over edited thumbnails etc things of that nature.

[@hamboid4998]

Nerds, Gamers, Bloggers, Content Creators. Long ago, the four corners of the internet lived together in harmony. Then, everything changed when the Corporations attacked.

[@ebenezerboateng5915]

Only the geek, master of all four elements could stop them, but when the world needed them most, they cancelled their accounts with no goodbye

[@arch4ngel]

A hundred months passed and my online friend and I discovered the new Geek, an intenetbender named aang2004.

[@warasphalt3032]

nah man, the REAL internet bender is filthy frank

[@Arranus]

@@arch4ngel so 2029

[@manictiger]

@@warasphalt3032 You must unlock the 7th chromosome. Without it, you cannot attain full understanding of the omniverse, and the Fire Lord will defeat you. Pink guy, set aside all worldly attachments.

[@josephcastano4598]

the internet was ruined when companies realized they could monetize people’s communication

[@yoshifan0312]

Yep. Before that the Internet was basically the Wild West.

[@pleaseenteranamelol711]

@Rwaggy Rwuper Rwinstincts because it is. or was

[@chrisc1177]

Screw corporations making money off our information, lets sell it ourselves

[@Donteatme70]

It was planned for that from the beginning

[@ubik_3786]

Spøøky Jim that’s capitalism baby

[@jmr5792]

What killed the golden age of the Internet was really the smart phone. Before to interact with the digital world you had to boot up your pc, wait for your dial up to come on and then log into whatever site you wanted to access, but now the Internet is quite literally in your pocket & can be accessed within seconds. You're connected to it at all times. It doesn't feel like a retreat but rather something that consumes your whole world every fucking second of the day. I miss the early-mid 2000's.

[@Kenji_Endo]

You're completly right, it was a lot healthier because you couldn't be connected at all times

[@KratostheThird]

@@Kenji_Endo It definitely was. Now we have Zoomers with mental health problems getting worse because they are connected 24/7.

[@Kenji_Endo]

@@KratostheThird I mean you know it's not their fault right?

[@KratostheThird]

@@Kenji_Endo I work with Zoomers at my job, so yes I know this.

[@robertlupa8273]

@@KratostheThird I'm sorry for ruining the internet and myself.

[@Leavemealone2-po7yn]

I miss when people didn’t take the internet so seriously and it was all just for fun.

[@SuperMario9078]

2008: Post something on KZbin for fun 2020: Post something on KZbin for money

[@moofreestyle3412]

mario9078 2008: quality > quantity 2020: quantity > quality

[@mysticmirage06]

I guess I’m still living in 2008

[@deltashot5608]

@@moofreestyle3412 quality is a subjective thing

[@fuqupal]

2036: Post the wrong thing and killer drones are sent after you for having the wrong opinion.

[@Jstaywinnin]

Yuji Silva lowkey people are sensitive these days bruh I remember a time where niggas wasn’t even like that

[@cookieshousecannabisco6963]

The internet used to be so nice before everyone and their mom showed up.

[@Phoenix-ip5kg]

Cookie's House Cannabis Co Basically 2000s- kids and teens are using the internet 2010s- these kids and teens are now parents 2020s- the cycle repeats

[@TheAverageMetalPoser]

I’ll never forget the first time I heard someone over 30 use the word meme. Actually startled me.

[@a-s-greig]

@@TheAverageMetalPoser They use it wrong. "Memes" aren't simply jokes, image macros, or exploitable formats. They're self-perpetuating bits of cultural information.

[@MBEG89]

@@a-s-greig yea thats a better definition. Theyre not just jokes, its a cultural thing.

[@muuuictor]

King of Retro Uhhh there are people being born every day. It’s not like we come in batches. It’s more of a continuum

[@LoganNagol]

I think Club Penguin is legit a great example of what used to make the internet so special. It was a world you could go to and chat with others, play some silly games, decorate your igloo/penguin, and just escape from the real world for a bit. But Club Penguin wasn’t designed to keep you on for hours and hours at a time, more so for a quick few minutes every now and then. Even the art style of club penguin perfectly captures that of the vintage internet.

[@WildWinterberry]

Same as habbo. I went on there not long ago to revisit and it's still a chill but sadly it's not close to what it was because all the things that made it fun and quirky are gone. The personality of the internet is long gone, the life of it will be next

[@nakapanda]

I'm an artist and DeviantArt provided me that customization I fell in love with spoken of here, but a few years back they made an upgrade and the entire website is so bland and boring now. I want the old years back :((

[@schechter01]

I can remember DeviantArt before jark was ousted from the top management...Angelo Sotira (spyed) was the instigator. He & his assistant run DA now & they've turned it into their own corporate cash cow.

[@BusterXlistaBOTRA]

goddamn downgrade, even hid the newest art page so people can't even see your stuff now

[@OfficialToxicCat]

Even worse, the website is now flooded with AI “art”. So it’s basically dead.

[@KyleEvra]

Old DA was Soo much fun. Nowadays I don't even use it anymore.

[@anthpo]

I miss the days when people would make content and post just to make content and post. Nowadays people make content FOR the algorithm and FOR advertisers.

[@kolossis8283]

anthpo yep

[@GewelReal]

I mean, if it allows it then it's easy money. Only fool would let such an occasion slip away

[@Maverick.D.]

Everyone is fake.

[@TheLastMillennials]

That's dead

[@apexone5502]

That's why I rarely go to the mainstream channels on KZbin. Some of them I'll watch but for the most part I go for random stuff on here and a lot of times those channels that host those videos don't have millions of subscribers.

[@alicecera7512]

I remember when you were an idiot for putting your personal information online but today 15 years later you're encouraged to do it. Why did we allow this to happen?

[@HeyImLucious]

Honestly though. We have to start trying to reverse this horrible change

[@unregisteredassaultbutterk1185]

Corporations steered us towards this because they knew it'd be a money printing machine and a way to control us all in one. Throughout history the powers that be have always had a knack for tricking us into signing away our rights of our own free will. And I guarantee if we do try to break out of it, maybe even reignite an age of free communication and independent sites, they'd just find a way to reign us back in. Either through the power of the market or the power of the state. The information age has given them a taste of absolute power, and they won't let go.

[@HeyImLucious]

@@unregisteredassaultbutterk1185 What a defeatist outlook. Even if we win we lose? Yeah, no. Just because a mountain is high doesn't mean its insurmountable.

[@unregisteredassaultbutterk1185]

@@HeyImLucious I'm not defeatist. When I say they'd just find a way to reign us back in, I'm implying that simply bringing the internet back to an age of freedom is not enough. If we want a genuine return to anonymity and privacy on the internet, it'll mean breaking up the corporate powers that rule us. Anything less than total elimination and they'll just rise up to shackle us again.

[@HeyImLucious]

@@unregisteredassaultbutterk1185 I'll happily get behind that, then. My apologies for rushing to conclusions, I see far too many people who have genuinely resigned hope that its made me pretty upset. So I tend to jump the gun at trying to bring them back into reality.

[@Ayoosi]

Back in the day on forums, everyone seemed to have a paranoia about being tracked and hacked, so you NEVER used your real name, NEVER used a real picture of yourself! And that anonymity brought an honesty that's missing today.

[@commandercaptain4664]

@thanos asparagus monkey condom gaming Everyone wants to "matter" and "leave a legacy", so online profiling is the easiest and fastest way to do that, as far as they think.

[@LegoCaptainRex]

And now you know damn well someone's watching you 24/7

[@bambsy9665]

That early internet paranoia has stuck with me all this time. I still find myself using fake names, phone numbers, addresses, dobs, etc, though perhaps now this mentality is needed more than ever.

[@Ayoosi]

@@bambsy9665 Same fam. Kinda blows me away how kids that grew up just a few years younger than me just took to the internet and electronic media with such blind trust.

[@anthonycarlisle6184]

I never liked the 'internet front persona' since the 00's, I found it disingenuous lol Always used my name, but never ventured beyond early fb & got away from that shortly after. Never understood why they called it "social media" when it's still just someone looking at a screen watching or listening to somebody else, doesn't quantify as "social" in my book. 🤷

[@Foiiiii1]

I miss the early 2000's where KZbin had just hilarious, minute-long videos filmed by crappy home cameras. They were absolute gold.

[@justsomeguywithoutamask5805]

KZbin didn't exist in the early 2000s.

[@moonflower6607]

You mean the mid-late years?

[@tacosatlarge]

Second half of 2000s and early 2010s

[@Kbxbigbro808]

@@tacosatlarge Yea the second half which was 2006-2010

[@Galidorquest]

Yeah, like early Smosh. So many popular white KZbinrs start out as hyper, suburban emo-kids doing weird, random things on camera... And then they usually grow a beard, 'rebrand' themselves for a wider audience and remove their early content.

[@FrogChoir]

KZbin died when people began earning money from views. The focus went from hobbies and passion projects to trying to make money.

[@UnchainedEruption]

KZbin has always been terrible. However one way it was and continues to be good is "How to..." videos that are specifically teaching some objective skill. But anything else is a complete waste of time. Like this video!

[@ombelle5284]

Money corrupts everything. Websites should be less like Facebook, and more like Wikipedia.

[@shortcat]

No. There are good content that wouldnt've been made if creators werent earning a buck from it. Simply ignore the bad one. It isn't hard, in fact the algorithm helps me greatly with that. But monopoly is bad indeed.

[@user-od9oj3pf7q]

@@ombelle5284 Which gets a bad reputation thanks to teachers

[@DacLMK]

@@UnchainedEruption Then why are you here?

[@4u1004me]

There cannot be a renaissance without a dark age.

[@davadreviewer5509]

Blunderful Red true but the real question is when is renaissance coming

[@cadsquade]

@@davadreviewer5509 I hope soon

[@zerofriends6]

God, please.

[@sirdrel]

hope we don’t hit a dystopian age before that

[@AleF202]

DaVadReviewer 30 years from now give or take. It’ll get way worse before that I assure.

[@dottigames]

I loved how the Internet was in the 2000s. It was not glued to my life and it was not a place to keep 24/7 checking on other people's lives and posting pictures of your most recent trip that nobody cares. It was a magical place where ANYTHING could happen. You'd go after school/work to disconnect about life and just chill and have fun, like an alternate world where freedom of speech reigned. I used to be very anxious to get home and boot up my computer where I could browse the Internet and finally be able to talk and to check the stuff that I really liked and just be myself, whereas I couldn't with most of my real friends. I was a Sonic fan at that time and the community was strong. We had animations, fanfics, forums, millions of fan websites (geocities), board discussions, arts, cool videos, contests, reviews, tips, radios, etc. You had endless content of your favorite stuff, and made on the sole purpose of being fun and good content, not on making money (at least most of the times). Nowadays you are just restricted to Reddit and its horrible mods or some forum that is just a ghost town. Online gaming was at its peak also. Staying up until late playing CS 1.6, Quake 3, Unreal, WoW was the shit. No censoring, no SJWs, no simping, no cash grabs, just the boys having fun. It was also very common to make friends with someone within some game and later the friendship would go on to outside the game via MSN. No one does that anymore. Everyone just lost their authenticity.

[@KratostheThird]

I was an autistic kid growing up and I was a computer geek. Back in the 1990s and early 2000s, internet usage was largely restricted to computer geeks and nerds who shared a passion. I was one of those kids who was a geek, and I was one of those who jumped on Counterstrike when it was popular. If you ask me, when Mark Zuckerberg decided to expand Facebook sometime in 2006 - 2009 to where everybody was convinced to join, that was the beginning of the end of the old internet. This decision, along with the first iPhone that Steve Jobs proudly displayed back in 2007, ushered in an era where people became more self centered and arrogant, all the while being unaware of their surroundings. I was a Sonic the Hedgehog fan too, and we had communities with a diverse group of people. We dug deep into fandom, discussing the latest video games, the comic books, whatever tickled our fancy. We had actual conversations that provoked critical thinking. The difference between back then and now, among many other things was we were able to use critical thinking much more effectively. Reddit sadly is basically a hivemind. It's essentially the opposite of critical thinking, you're supposed to cater to one's whims and follow them. Otherwise, you will get 'canceled' by the moderators. Online gaming was more fun back then too. World of Warcraft in recent times is just sad. One of the worst online communities that I've encountered. Full of people trying to cancel others. Full of SJWs to point out that your view of things is wrong. American politics is discussed almost as much as the game itself. It happened a lot when I was doing PVP matches and even when I was just clearing out some dungeons. The old community of WoW wasn't like that. We all hanged out and some of us made a relationship outside the game. Try doing that today with any MMO or popular online game. Meanwhile, everyone is bitching about Aaron Rodgers while others are complaining about Lebron James being a bitch on Twitter. Who the fuck cares? Why should we concern ourselves with soulless celebrities? It's a fucked up world now.

[@dottigames]

​ @Im Caj Yes. When Facebook and smartphones became extremely popular and everybody started using the internet massively, even those who didn't see much appeal in it before, I was one who was like "wait? why is everyone posting all the time about meaningless stuff of their lives, tweeting about celebrities, why do the posts disappear so quickly? Why do people are seeking attention so much? What is even the point? Where are the fun and engaging discussions? The sense of community?". From then on, that was gone and the internet became shallow, streamlined, robotic, and censored. Reddit was supposed to be the "follow-up" of the old internet, but as it grew in popularity, they just transformed it into a corporatized, political, and censored mess as everything that becomes popular.

[@KratostheThird]

@@dottigames Reddit was good back in the mid - late 2000s. Then it became like a lot of other big websites. Corporate. Political. Censored. It's no different from watching Rachel Maddow on MSNBC or some talking head on CNN and Fox News.

[@HansensUniverseT-A]

Right on! Back then it was more common for the kids around the neighborhood to gather, especially in the weekends and in the big summer break, holy shit what a blast, the room would be filled with monitors and computers, anyone remember those small compact TVs with the integrated VCR? You would have someone gaming on that along with their PS2 or Xbox, before the whole PC versus console war really took off, it was just one cohort of humans having fun staying up until early morning playing games and watching movies, it was a different universe.

[@Flaflo]

I feel this so hard. I miss these times.

[@RandomNorwegianGuy.]

I'm so sad that the golden age of internet only lasted for this short period. It came and went away before I even noticed

[@MADSCIENTISTGONESANE6166]

Yeah man 2011-2015, were the peak golden years of KZbin and many other social media outlets. 2016-2017 were almost the last good years somewhat, then income 2018 - 2019 something shifted either for worst or for good. 2020 - present I guess it shifted for the worst. I even reminisce on those good ole days almost feels far away at times

[@cara-seyun]

@@MADSCIENTISTGONESANE6166 are you saying 2015 was good, or are you saying it was the end of the golden age? I remember it as the year that you could begin to feel the stagnation and repetition of internet creativity, as well as the time the real world and corporations began to sink their hooks in and stopped treating the internet as a goofy side quest

[@Milligan777]

What killed the internet? Money, lawyers, and governments.

[@Synthwavu]

That existed during the Golden Age of the Internet.

[@CCbat33]

Twitter killed it. Idiotic opinions started spreading like wildfire there. Censorship, pc culture bullshit, politics everywhere, etc.

[@doom5895]

@@BlockedUser1 everyone ruined it lol

[@our_illumination949]

funny because its some of the governments that are questioning what these social media corporations are doing to people's information ... I wouldn't blame all govt but yes to all corporations looking for a quick and easy profit

[@stonedape2406]

@@BlockedUser1 these large corporations have formed through loopholes and crony capitalism. They pair with he government and cut off all competition.

[@Noodlepunk]

We are in a Cyberpunk dystopia without the cool aesthetic.

[@laurenz1337_]

That's exactly what I've been thinking

[@cai6972]

A very boring dystopia

[@averagebritishguy7082]

Its like Mad Max. An endless ocean of sand.

[@oaktree2406]

Yeah not enough newspapers you know..on paper and noodles...

[@GaryMcCaffrey]

The Cyberpunk aesthetic is coming and actually has a practical application, Google 'CV Dazzle', I would just post the link but then this comment will probably get nuked.

[@rhettorical]

My grandparents watched the downfall of radio and television happen slowly over the course of many decades. I watched the internet's downfall over the course of my short life. This isn't how things are supposed to be.

[@funnelvortex7722]

That is because the downfall of the Internet was artificial. It wasn't in response to shifting market trends or consumer demand, it was the result of platforms like Twitter/Insta getting big and then paying smaller sites to "integrate" them before buying them out completely and shutting them down centralizing the entire Internet around Twitter eventually. It's quite literally what happens when these companies are allowed to explode and monopolize unchecked, and monopoly laws IRL have a harder time being applied to the Internet.

[@satexman2585]

IT lasted less than a decade. What killed it was the smart phone.

[@YourFatherVEVO]

"Lets face it, the internet has become corp-" *AD*

[@technoguyx]

get KZbin Vanced

[@doomerguyal2327]

Like in this videos, but hey... We need to eat.

[@vojacked305]

EXACTLY

[@marcuswellington5866]

Yes it has

[@Altzar2011]

Same here wtf the irony

[@SheetMusicBoss]

It really is a hugely demotivating feeling to have your livelihood swiped away in an instant. Insanity.

[@chicenwangs]

Didn't expect you here lol

[@vikinghoodbluelighthouse2911]

I no like our midi ):

[@Fortune466]

Yes indeed

[@dunamoose3446]

Hey SMB!

[@hombreg1]

@@MeatCatCheesyBlaster yes and no. More traditional jobs usually have legal systems behind them that provide protection to both the worker and the company.

[@marcusgotosleep4853]

I got a taste of the golden age when I was so young, but I will never forget it. ytps and shitposts were the best things ever, not anymore though. recently I've been growing away from the internet and going back a lot more to the real world

[@THXIIIRTEEN]

😭

[@HonkeyKong54]

Normies and big tech ruined everything. It's so bad that I tried to comment a brief history of blockbuster and Netflix and KZbin wouldn't allow it.

[@chrischris3279]

Just remember KZbin once had the slogan “broadcast yourself”

[@mckali9999]

Holy shit, when did that stop?

[@EazyDoor]

@@mckali9999 I might be wrong but I assume it happened right around when Google took over. Maybe 1-2 years after that. Edit: Nah I was dumb. Google took over in 2006. Pretty sure the slogan was still around in 2010ish.

[@Danish9248]

Bitchute

[@kacpermurach5843]

"Advertise Yourself"

[@mickyleR]

@@mckali9999 They got rid of it around 2013/14ish

[@dye4na]

Glink: "KZbin sucks now" KZbin: *this video is recommended for you*

[@bradtitt7572]

Ok boomer

[@Pejelo]

Indeed

[@daniel4647]

Best thing about YT is that it's run by robots that we're training and YT have lost control off

[@maxkoller6315]

I think this describes the situation best

[@masternobody1896]

Wow youtube algorithm want golden age

[@satan1189]

Dude the ceo of youtube is LITERALLY called susan and doesnt visit the site and has 0 clue about the internet. Its literally like someones mom took over youtube

[@sugaryheaven4089]

@GΛV Her sister is married to the co-founders of Google

[@ruler_of_everything]

@@sugaryheaven4089 wait, really? THAT ACTUALLY EXPLAINS A LOT ABOUT HOW SHE DIDN'T GET FIRED YET HAJKSHJKASHJKHDFISIH

[@ReStOrEdLiFe88]

Remember back in 2008-2009 when youtube was not connected to google and you could customize your profile page with wallpapers, gifs anf pics? Yeah good times

[@zicdragon]

I may or may not catch a glimpse of all that because I was very young. Damn that really sounds like a great place to be.

[@ReStOrEdLiFe88]

@@zicdragon believe me, it was. No speech and content policing, no trigger warings, it was raw and fun as this yt today will never be again

[@KratostheThird]

Google Plus destroyed that customization.

[@moonflower6607]

didn't google buy youtube in '06?

[@ReStOrEdLiFe88]

@@moonflower6607 perhaps but it didn't connect with google up until 2010-2011 I think

[@Mugenis4real]

we'll never see a pre-corporation internet again, I feel so sorry for everyone who missed it, it was like a nonstop party at your fingertips

[@littleshit4847]

Remember "welcome to the internet, i will be your guide" Meme? Yeah.. It's not relevant anymore..

[@codyzumr4040]

😔 sadly I never got to experience it fully, hence I moved to the states in '15 and had little to no exposure to the internet prior to that

[@eugenenalpin6058]

I'm a 2001 kid, when the internet was in it's hayday I was still in the kindergarten lol. I haven't come online until 2014, when CS:GO was a hot thing, but I still associate myself closer with 90's kids rather than with younger zoomers

[@laugrimdude]

Everything and Nothing yeah me too, i started in 2015, and from the stories told of old youtube, i d love to be there. At least I got to experience filthy frank for a short time.

[@soymilkman]

My first experience of corporate internet was when club penguin was bought out by Disney. I was a devastated 7 yr old

[@SammyInnit]

Just as he said "the internet has become corporate" I had a mid-roll advert. How ironic.

[@DonutKop]

fucking. use. adblock! USE ADBLOCK! I swear why aren't more people using ad block on youtube

[@budahead99]

Its like he can put the ads where he wants

[@SammyInnit]

@@DonutKop I left another comment just after saying this: "I think you've overlooked what's made the internet what it is today - advertising. As soon as this companies realised they could sell data or ad-space it became about revenue. If people used VPNs, ad block etc. It reduces the profitability from selling adverts. I remember back in the 90s when I first started using the internet, adverts were seldom seen because the market was still small and in turn the big corps. we see today didn't have such a stranglehold."

[@Aes_Saru]

@@DonutKop mobile and some of us are now trying to use capitalist on means against them by using the ads to go to good causes. I mean it's not much but it a start.

[@goatskin4487]

Lol he puts the ads on there

[@Anna_Stetik]

It is disgusting what has happened over the years to the internet. I started my internet journey back in the early 90s. It was the 'wild, wild west'. We could say what we wanted, do what we wanted, and no one had public melt downs, no calls for fans or followers to attack, no storm of Karens doxxing people for not going along with some witch trial group think, no one was censored, canceled, shut down, etc. Everyone just handled it. And BECAUSE of that, the large majority of people were a hell of a lot friendlier and far, FAR more creative than today. We could even make videos without copyright strikes. KZbin came along in 2005 - long after the start of the internet, but even back then, KZbin was FUN! It was all about us, not corporations and celebrities, news, movie trailers, etc. It was the every day person - that was the whole damn point of KZbin. Now, the internet feels like you're being treated like a child....and everyone around you is also a child - an EXTREMELY sensitive child, who runs to the teacher to cry about their feelings. It's very sad, because the more you monitor, the more you restrict, the more you shut conversation down, the worse people get, not better.

[@handheldX3]

some people had to be canceled though.

[@mcren6781]

Dude this is spot on! The part you said about Karens doxxing for not going along with some witch trial group think made my head spin! And the part you said about the internet being full of extremely sensitive children who run to the teacher to taddle for every little thing.

[@futureclubexampleturned1343]

Internet is a place to get ourself get off reality, but when internet is reality, everything boring

[@joandarc441]

It's just like watching bad reality TV shows.

[@oakleyhasafoot7878]

I miss when the internet was a place to escape the real world. Now I can’t go anywhere without seeing politics or things from the real world.

[@michaelknox3715]

Same. Both the right and the left are guilty of this

[@mississipi1103]

I can't enjoy youtube comments without a "feminism is cancer" or " all men are trash".... Ugh

[@jacob9673]

To be fair, you can hop on discord and escape into games for a bit with your friends if you really want to.

[@isaiahsimmons5776]

Bullshit. Even back in 2000's were people putting politics into internet, you seen have many god damn flash games where it make fun of W. Bush or kill Osama bin Laden?

[@bingitybong6518]

Go to Reddit and avoid all political subreddit

[@kneegga4677]

"They took down Hentai Heaven" I felt that

[@subashira]

Dud I cant even find rule 34 anymore everything's fucked :(

[@ode2jen]

Wait rule 34s down

[@ryantowers5380]

Lmao same

[@flashersylejmani8863]

Yeah i know, that hit hard

[@kneegga4677]

@@subashira hanime dot tv for hentai, Sankaku Black for images and NHBooks for doujinshi my dude

[@jessyjilli]

one of the things that make me sad is the lack of personalization. i remember when we're able to change lot's of things on Twitter, now we can't barely change the colors of the links and when we click to change it, we can only pick the 5 colors they choose for us and this color is used in all pages, even other ppls pages. i loved to check my friends pages and see what colors and wallpapers they choose. now everything is the same. that's why i love neocities, they keep the best of internet alive

[@Wally_West]

I really hate modern internet and social media. Things were so much simpler back then.

[@Wapcvm]

I'm personally waiting for the internet 2

[@0dayrepairs]

There's actually people working on decentralized networks to replace the internet. So hopefully not too much more waiting.

[@g33ktube16]

@@0dayrepairs woo Piedpiper

[@miuzoreyes6547]

Old School internet

[@silentgroyper5069]

This is internet 2 or what come of it lol

[@halturner4738]

@@0dayrepairs There are already a few. Problem is people don't know about them or don't care enough to use them. Like Freenet.

[@yungHIMO]

"they took down HentaiHaven" I felt that

[@user-kb1su7mg1g]

good

[@TheMuslimMan1337]

great

[@JohnFortniteKennedy_]

awesome

[@user-kb1su7mg1g]

@@JohnFortniteKennedy_ coom

[@stanleyjones1935]

If you don't know yet it's back

[@mittelego1098]

The old internet feels so nostalgic even though I only have experienced the "new" internet

[@isadsales]

This phenomenon really effected meme culture as well. There are multiple “memes” nowadays that started as publicity for movies, and are honestly very unfunny. Besides, they only last for 2 days. I feel like I’m holding onto something that doesn’t exist anymore, but there are still some enjoyable environments on the internet, specially on youtube.

[@KratostheThird]

Most memes nowadays aren't posted to get people to laugh, they're posted to get more people pissed off. The old meme culture had class, tact, and a sense of humor. The SJWs, "woke" people and assholes just took the memes and plastered them just so they could gain attention.

[@ishubandhan1749]

True af...🗿🗿

[@Noone-wq8ml]

@@KratostheThird one example: cringe compilations

[@Lin_Eileen]

@@KratostheThird The big bad SJW's and woke people didn't steal your memes 😂 I'm really thinking you never experienced "the old meme culture" if you think it had any sort of class or tact. Sense of humor certainly but class & tact definitely not

[@benjaminchaulk6269]

Swolo ren was when I gave up on memes

[@klitzy]

Remember when the word "cringe" wasn't as used and people were not afraid of being creative? Yeah, me too.

[@tydyman2003]

Normal Person well cringe culture is kind of dead

[@klitzy]

@@tydyman2003 tf does that even mean

[@PigeonFlare]

@@klitzy Peoplr don't say that seriously anymore, if you see the word it's probably ironic. Also, what? People weren't as afraid to bash others back then, I would argue.

[@tydyman2003]

@@klitzy most people don't care if stuff is cringey

[@B0K0691]

Cringe

[@bluasphalt]

I miss how personalised the old KZbin layout was. Remember when KZbin meant 'Broadcast Yourself'? Now it's just a corporate echo chamber of soulless content.

[@4everforgotten]

It was pretty cool how the background and literally everything was customizable

[@roastchicken401]

The yellow subscribe button, descriptions at the side of videos, the star rating system, video responses, actually being able to thumb... Though, I do prefer the green/red like to dislike ratio they implemented after the star system better. Funny; they made the dislikes clear and removed negative thumbs, so people's feelings would be less hurt. Though thumbing down still works, it just moves other comments further down in priority.

[@nickpavloff8977]

kuntexterminator I miss old KZbin period .... they had a sense of looking out for viewer by being the only media source without a lot of commercials, and now they have more commercials than any TV channel....................................................................................................

[@windycity5985]

Damn I totally forgot how the customizable old KZbin was.... where have we gone.

[@Ayy_Doll_Fiddler]

Broadcast Yourself? What's this? 2009?

[@OfficialToxicCat]

Internet truly died for me when it stopped being about creativity, fun, and escapism. Now it’s about drama, Us v. Them,validation, greedy corporations and billionaires trying to get money while not caring if people are getting hurt or negatively on their platforms, and political warfare thanks to the government and politicians using the internet. If I remember correctly, I remember a time when KZbin was just dumb animal and skit videos. Not infested with drama or “tea channels” made by validation seeking Milennials and Gen Zers making money off of any internet drama or negativity that they see.

[@solitaryvibes2332]

Now there's reels making everthing 10 times worse 😭

[@jaime9927]

I was born in the middle of the golden age. It feels unfair that I didnt get to experience it

[@UnchainedEruption]

Don't worry, they're overselling how good it was. I think the reason most of us look back on it more fondly is precisely because we WEREN'T using it most of the time. It existed and was a powerful new tool, but that was it. Real life still existed.

[@powerlevelvlog1089]

Me too

[@mauve9266]

As someone who was also born in the middle, I find it helps to try and use the internet in such a way that the pros are accentuated and the cons are more downplayed. There’s so much great about the internet even now, I think it’s just about making sure you’re using it like a tool like you come away feeling good like you’ve added to your life somehow. By doing this I don’t really feel the negative affects as much I go on to learn stuff see cool things then leave. It can be hard to do as those cons feel like they’re always there but it’s well worth it.

[@smallben7744]

Yep, same here

[@MadsterV]

@@UnchainedEruption yeah no. Not overselling. As someone who was there and of enough age, I wondered back then why the whole world wasn't using it so I could hear and discuss their thoughts and projects. It never ocurred to me that other people's thoughts were.... what we have now. As someone else said, the only thing that is better now is that if you need to do something and don't know how, you can probably find several different step-by-step guides on it in both text and video formats.

[@BlyUehara37]

The internet is becoming so degenerade and soulless everything is a competition everything is for social status there is no fun anymore the only good thing left is that you download things

[@rtx6439]

lmao shut up

[@theatomictitan0a588]

@@rtx6439 why?

[@luigiiodice3517]

Carnage as your pfp😍

[@JF-xm6tu]

Not for long cloud gaming will destroy mods and ownership

[@Raymuk]

I dont know about that if you search for as little as 5 minutes in any platform you can find someone thats in it for pasion is not as bad as they make it seem.

[@FollowerOfChrist144]

I was a freshman in high school in 2008. 2000-2010 WAS the golden era, no doubt in my mind.

[@kevinfernandes1882]

absolutely. After 2010 the shift started and brought us into the dark ages. We still had a free internet where anything could be said or posted but people still went out to socialize at the mall or skate parks or just ride bikes. MTV and MSN where the shit and iPods came so you could torrent music from bearshare and lime wire.

[@Galidorquest]

Everything was still good up until the G+ takeover in 2013, imo. Many websites went in a similar direction as KZbin that year and tried to be like Facebook.

[@RealDevastatia]

The golden age was before 1997, when AOL turned all the normies and lusers loose on the Internet.

[@ships1227]

Most websites just feel very corporate for me, that's all. Also how it's become acceptable to share so much varying information online to complete strangers, just unreal to me. But I do hope in the future we will see a return of forum-based websites, although unlikely because of tech giants like Facebook

[@15Xan]

The problem nowadays is, if you want to create something they will cut you out from everywhere, its gonna be hard to restore internet to the people again

[@-Speed2411]

As soon as he said “the internet has become corporate” I got an ad lol

[@MistaCasslaVideoGames]

ROFL

[@voidofspaceandtime4684]

adblockers my guy

[@drzoidberg9758]

He can choose when in the video he would like ads to be played to people so this was probably strategic, but still cool nonetheless!

[@tortugitaazul5084]

Me too!

[@diyalectic52]

I got two in a row.

[@pastaguy7053]

We're all just actors in the world's longest Black Mirror episode.

[@hoodiejack]

Pastaguy man

[@christinaclements5101]

Yesss Black Mirror 🖤

[@kitsontuli2713]

Bruh

[@wlan-kabel2749]

I believe were about to enter a Black Mirror episode worthy period of time.

[@alanorange9376]

@@wlan-kabel2749 Absolutely. And there are plenty who have no idea what's going on.

[@mattcintosh2]

I've been online since 1998. The golden age was when you could find things you never knew about or haven't seen in years and unique personal sites were everywhere. The lack of music/videos in those days were pretty much the main things lacking. I'd say about 2010 the fun started to go away, and by 2015 the randomness has been replaced with everything being corporate sites, and cookie cutter sites everywhere. Random joke pages and funny photos were everywhere. Now, there are just very annoying ad filled slide shows. Instant messaging is all but gone. Jokes for those of us "in the know" just seem to have gone away. New developments seem to be more of "meh". I mainly use the internet as a tool to make money for the full time employment and watch youtube videos about the history of things that were around when I grew up.

[@Galidorquest]

Hey, it's the Muzak dude! Fancy seeing you here! :D

[@korg0]

How to use Twitter in 2021: Step 1: Share your opinion on public. Step 2: You get called a racist and then get cancelled. Step 3: You are done with society and Twitter.

[@fikrijuanda6321]

Its all started when Harvey Weinstein got arrested, and then people learn this thing to other people and another people

[@KratostheThird]

The problem is this happens with practically any topic. It used to be only when discussions regarding serious politics and religion would bring out the bad side in people. Today you can make an opinion on Joe Biden's butt crack, or comment on the New England Patriots putting out a subpar performance on a football game they played last week.... somebody will read that comment getting offended. Yes, I have actually seen people get deeply offended over these kind of discussions, many of which should be absolutely trivial and non important.

[@vbrownie80daily41]

After big government found out that social media can over throw governments...that was the end of the internet.

[@skezeksskybreaker5425]

Yeah they really tightened the screws once Trump took them by surprise. They were successful at controlling the narrative for years and couldn't conceive a bunch of trolls, memes, listening to podcast and speeches that normally only a few hundred people would view now explode to millions, dethroning them. I find it hilarious how dying mainstream media fact checks parody memes as if trying to desperately cling on that we are fucking stupid and we need them to be our saviors to separate fact from fiction.

[@natejennings5884]

The internet was created in 1968 for research purposes. The internet was initially used to relay data between Universities and...the government. It wasn't until the latter half of the 1990s, when personal computers became affordable and "" made the web easy to use, that the internet became viable to us common folk. To think the government and these companies wouldn't cut deals is very naive.

[@JacobsGamingChannel]

@Rapid nerd

[@STScott-qo4pw]

I wonder... Do you realise how accurate you are?

[@totallynoteverything1.]

4chan needs to overthrow the government, it's time they focus their weaponized autism at the bigger threat

[@rmd-4983]

“They took down hentai heaven nooooo.” What a chad

[@tvsnorlex1482]

Halo 55223 simps :/

[@edited1325]

😂

[@Dili7172]

Kid didnt even know its haven not heaven

[@luimu]

Hentaihaven is garbage nowadays. I prefer hanime.tv.

[@physical_insanity]

To be fair, it began when the got rid of loli.

[@YeTism]

Corporations ruined the internet. It’s now a streamlined and inoffensive shadow of what it once was.

[@joshwhitney4155]

"But wait... it wasn't always like this" Fuck man... Remember when the internet was actually fun? When it was magical?

[@aquarius5719]

Historians will find 2010s hillarious.

[@sk3ptik0s49]

And 2020s terrifying.

[@user-hd4wf5gq8r]

@@sk3ptik0s49 don't be so negative!

[@sk3ptik0s49]

@@user-hd4wf5gq8r Wait and see 😬

[@cedenoa001]

hopefully Internet Historian

[@NosferatuMalus]

Hopefully Hentai Heaven will be up again, don't be so pessimistic.

[@EmperorSheepy]

"The Internet has become corporate" - immediately get a Tik Tok ad

[@user-pd9xr8sx9q]

Nice profile pic

[@KangJangkrik]

Sorry mate can't feel that, youtube premium

[@RunBoy]

@@KangJangkrik sorry to hear that...

[@Hayiii-uc8lp]

@@KangJangkrik sorry mate, using adblock, savefromnet, pirated movies, and reupload youtube premium videos, without paying any single cash

[@Brando550]

@@KangJangkrik paying for YT premium is supporting the corporations.............. just get uBloc Origin

[@louiscocksman7114]

I just miss the days when social media was OPTIONAL and wasn’t such an integral part of society. Growing up, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram were certainly popular, but they weren’t as much of a toxic cesspool influenced by society. KZbin was at its peak, gaming was fucking awesome….god.

[@Galidorquest]

The only thing FB is good for is seeing hot pics of girls we went to school with. Everybody's on Instagram these days, I mostly use it to add the hot, popular KZbinrs & streamers. All the popular people of the internet have their personal pics on Instagram.

[@dembears5577]

We should make a website that people could post videos and make memes and stuff without getting demonitized and just a place to relive the glory days of the internet

[@mrfunnixd7381]

Thats the best idea ever

[@RealDevastatia]

Finally, somebody gets the correct answer. DO IT!!!

[@Asmanidoesnotexist2]

PLEASE SOMEONE DO IT😭😭‼️‼️

[@Krishshaw009]

we should go back to individual websites

[@xJarlaxle]

"Let's face it, the Internet has become corporate" That sentence barely finished and I was hit with an ad, HAHAHAHAHAHAH, oh the irony

[@Takeru9292]

That is funny!

[@Warriorsoul300]

Hilarious!!!!

[@dinkusstinkus4396]

He decides where the ads go in his video. That was intentional.

[@TaurenTLT]

Lmfaoo rip to the internet. Go outside to nature👽👽

[@froddobaggins]

"They took down hentai haven" Classic

[@sunburst8810]

Anyone with a brain knows where to get hentai without being spoonfed by a streaming site for zoomers. Hentaihaven was part of the problem

[@streetbike_jpod]

loli...o the days

[@lilpp4791]

Stop watching that cancer called porn it's way worse than social media

[@nicoleelizabeth4270]

LMAO “they took down hentai heaven”

[@hellofingiwanttoreportabru3949]

Actually a good thing

[@lamboman68]

The golden age was just beautiful even up until 2014. Finding Skype for the first time and I could actually see my friends to play games with was quite something

[@AGirlofYesterday]

And it just keeps spiraling downward. As of today, August 9, 2022, the internet is: - 90% ads, commercials, scams, paywalls, and junk. - 8% inappropriate, incorrect, or regurgitated mindless content. - 2% quality articles, videos, and educational materials -- if you have the patience to wade through the sewage to find the good stuff. It's even worse than rummaging through piles of dusty crap at Goodwill to find a few treasures. And it's impossible to escape! Most of the job postings I see are hiring people to create more internet garbage. Dear god help us.

[@emuriddle9364]

The problem is: People rely on the Internet, for a sense of belonging. Nowadays, it's just a reboot of High School drama.

[@epicotakugamer4930]

Pretty much this especially Twitter

[@Delta1nToo]

it's worse, i don't know what highschool you went to but i've never seen someone get cancelled in my school.

[@-xnnybimb-9398]

But worse

[@anonymousvossylu9342]

cough *art community dramas* cough

[@awts..7954]

@@anonymousvossylu9342 their basically the 2000s high school everyones been talking about

[@dankorcz8158]

Give it another 10 years and we'll have a renaissance period

[@edstar83]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/iGLGlKqvhZuZoMU

[@sqbi4614]

that is exactly what i think of

[@ogi1337]

I can’t afford to wait that long I’ll be boomers age by that time

[@user-yf1mh2sp5g]

@@ogi1337 you will reborn in the 50's??

[@sovereign4107]

"Hey, lets give up all of our control so people can do what they want again." Sounds realistic.

[@fuzzygokoss]

Oh man, how worse it's gotten. You should revisit this.

[@Jackbeedie]

I feel like fun has just died. Everything online nowadays is cold, corporate and lifeless. Advertisements and apps taking for your data and information, lies and deceit rye among the entire internet. I believe it will get better someday, the corporations will realize they are absolutely hated by everyone, and one day they will die. The golden age of the internet will come again one day. It’ll be different, but it’ll be good.

[@user-rm4yo1hs9m]

The internet was way better when you had to go home and sit at your computer to use it.

[@mrluthfians01]

It felt special

[@bluesmurff6163]

Agreed, it meant you had to focus on what you were reading and the access to a keyboard made it easier to communicate, internet is all about interacting, but interactions with a touchscreen are usually limited to pushing a few buttons and that's it. Like, you rarely see people writing long sentence with their phone... I would also argue than trolls and especially the hate online is really hurting the internet, like i know some people who stay away from any comment section just because of this

[@additivent]

Personally, the line has blurred for me, as I was born in a time where I experienced the thing that VIPPER was describing, but, too late to experience it fully.

[@saimanda_]

ＶＩＰＰＥＲ (ゝω・´)♡ Thats so true

[@HeadsetHistorian]

I remember logging into MSN and lighting up with joy when I saw the people that I wanted to talk to were on. That sort of limited window of communication made for us to actually properly converse and build real relationships. Now, with everyone always online, there's rarely any real conversation because there's a lack of agency to it.

[@_GhostMiner]

*Remember when the every website had its own unique look and personality?*

[@sugaryheaven4089]

I miss KZbin's customizing of channels! 😭 That's the only thing I wish they brought back!

[@dashthatoneviewer]

Everything is trying to become tiktok these days lmao

[@atti3102]

at least on newground you can stil modifie the color and layout of your page

[@Gamerappa]

@@atti3102 fnf fucked the site up

[@atti3102]

@@Gamerappa why? Fnf isn't that bad and the fan base is not a big problem

[@SkullfriedScallions]

We can't go back, but maybe if we really try, we can try to recapture the greatness in a new way. Not just regarding the internet, but all forms of entertainment as well.

[@KratostheThird]

The niche forms of entertainment are still doing decent stuff. The mainstream has been garbage and it’s been garbage for a long time. Elden Ring is the only “AAA” level video game that I enjoyed. Everything else at that level as far as I’m concerned has been trash.

[@theshadowman1398]

Before 2010s everything was much simpler and fun. Now these sites think they can dictate you how to live.

[@Gravetwist]

The money changed everything. It turned making memes/internet culture from a passion to a profession, and thats what killed it.

[@cfvgd]

Politics killed it. They allowed monopoly in exchange of information and control.

[@BruhTumbleweeds]

Gravetwist Remember when media didn’t give a fuck about memes. Now saying ok boomer is a problem

[@kbs1212]

Gravetwist I saw a job listing for social media content creator that had ‘brand-friendly meme creation’ as a key responsibility of the position. 🤦🏻‍♀️

[@nirad8026]

@@kbs1212 Like this: >When somebody mentions the new #mega_lit Iphone 11S+Max Ultra™©® *(willy wonka staring in the background)* _... And they say corporations are not up with the times heh..._

[@GlinkBetweenWorlds]

Gravetwist ive been thinking about money a lot. I think money is legitimately responsible for the corruption of society.

[@ethanhenrichs5677]

This video was made in 2019. In 2020, all of this that was wrong happened ten times more. The internet got even worse in 2020.

[@ethanhenrichs5677]

Thanks for the heart.🙂

[@moonflower6607]

@@ethanhenrichs5677 Maybe likely due to the tumultuous events of that year?

[@ethanhenrichs5677]

@@moonflower6607 True, but I mean big tech and their ridiculous censorship. And the Twitter cancel culture

[@sportsgamer8524]

The internet got “worse” because more peoples started using it and sharing their opinions.

[@moonflower6607]

@@sportsgamer8524 so the social networks are to blame?

[@Flow-.-]

the way everyone just stares blankly at there phones nowadays during irl events just me sick. I loved the internet, computers, and video games since i could walk and talk but it’s just sad nowadays with the current state of it. I’m thinking of signing off and living off the grid for a while. I’ll fly my plane, eat good food, read a couple books and just enjoy life while it lasts,

[@KratostheThird]

I remember things started changing around the time the iPhone first came out. You won't remember, because you're only 19, I was 19 back in 2007 when the smartphone was introduced by Steve Jobs. We were the first generation to really put smartphones to heavy usage, particularly when Obama was about to get elected as president back in 2008. It was great to be able to game with your friends on Call of Duty back in circa 2008 - 2012ish. Today I just can't bring myself to play Call of Duty online anymore. Too many drama queens, I've basically muted everybody because I can't stand to hear their voices in an online video game. I loved internet and video games in general, but the internet is utterly killing us. Going outside and signing off the grid is the only real way to escape reality now, as strange as that sounds. We used to be a lot more social back in 2006 - 2011. Today, everybody stares into their computers and smartphones. Pretty depressing.

[@johnzoran6196]

@@KratostheThird Yes, it was right around the time that smartphones came, that things started going to hell. I remember in 2010 that things began to take an ominous turn. People started using MSN less and FB more for instance...

[@KratostheThird]

@@johnzoran6196 Facebook forced everyone to use their real name and picture so that took out a lot of anonymity that its predecessor MySpace had. I'm just real tired of seeing smartphones everywhere at this point, but you can't escape them anymore. I definitely miss having to use a desktop computer to access the internet. Most people basically went on for maybe a hour, or two hours at most, then signed off and went on with their day. Those same people from back then are now practically glued to their screens.

[@KratostheThird]

@hell ño Same. I remember getting a Cingular flip phone back in the early 2000s thinking it was awesome. Convenient to have, but not enough to where it simply took over our life. Every other person I see nowadays either has their face buried in their smartphone or their face buried on a computer/television screen.

[@joandarc441]

@@KratostheThird Mine im more into fighting games watching old days of tournaments and old trailers of video games or happy tree friends 🤣🤣🤣🤣 for me 2016 was really the good days of KZbin

[@SomeAngryGuy1997]

Can't believe I would say this, but I miss the time when "Let the bodies hit the floor" played on so many videos back in the day, terrible as that song was.

[@auravisionsdeluxe2885]

I remember it on a old video about GTA:SA online and monster trucks... Probably lost to time now... I kinda wanna be able to bring it back...

[@HansensUniverseT-A]

And the YT national anthem.

[@0fuxTaken]

I actually fear that 10 years from now I could look back to today and miss the current state of affairs if we follow the current trajectory.

[@bleh8789]

There is always a breaking point to these things, so if we continue down this path there are definitely going to be new platforms emerging

[@melancholyman369]

Remember that meme bout the grandpa telling his grandson "a story", thats us inna a decade telling our "designer baby gender neutral helicopters" bout the politically incorrect good old days.

[@infiddle_8810]

Welp, so long as everyone remains asleep, your fear will unfortunately come true.. Amazon is breaking into law enforcement and "defense"... 1984 is literally playing out right in front of us and no one cares. 😑

[@bleh8789]

@@infiddle_8810 this is exactly why gun control is a terrible idea

[@infiddle_8810]

@@bleh8789 someone who gets it 😏✌️

[@spacie8340]

And it didn't just die. It was MURDERED

[@Sykroid]

*cue lofi beats

[@raidy5215]

Like Epstein who didn't kill himself!

[@GodOfOrphans]

"Eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth, blood for blood, life for life!"

[@mooreoftre]

Lol cue typewriter sound

[@rowdymatt]

But that's just a theory, a GAME THEORY

[@ethanreyes9549]

The worst part about all of this? Any good thing that happens, whether it be a person, CEO, company, or page. It will always be replaced by a corporate puppet. Just look at one of the Reddit CEO'S who eventually killed himself.

[@JonathanSouza-ge8on]

internet today, specially social media, feel so hostile, rude and mean spirited. it's quite sad honestly.

[@mcsmash4905]

id rather have people be mean to me than be nice just so they dont get banned , better to speak truly than to pretend

[@agorthagoth-vq3jj]

@@mcsmash4905 stupid mentality, while you're at it i guess youd rather have people shoot you in the head than threaten to kill you eh?

[@fatmasglobal]

Time is flying when even the internet has a "good old days."

[@lunaps484]

a c c e l e r a t i o n

[@lilpp4791]

@Weston Meyer true

[@cosmic2591]

@Weston Meyer ok boomer

[@tobitaktlos3241]

It`s scary how fast it evolved. I remember it like yesterday, finally getting that sweet dial up connection, downloading a song from Kazaa took an hour. People were generally friendly because it was all new to us. First Cs 1.0 matches... that was 20 years ago. 20 years are fucking nothing. But i still think that smartphones are way worse, surveillance wise. If i see how much fucking permissions certain apps want, why the fuck does my phone need location services... etc. Call me paranoid but i still do most of my important calls over landline, own a second pc that isnt connected to the internet and i use linux.

[@jaredballoonboy7944]

Weston Meyer Sure, boomer.

[@NethervvoidBuilds]

I'm 45. I joined online gaming and other internet stuff in 1997 when I was 22. It was the glory age. The internet now is laughable compared.

[@bjack8315]

Damn an OG, respect bro

[@NethervvoidBuilds]

@@bjack8315 Thanks. Right back atcha.

[@TheLastMillennials]

Nice

[@mistressofstones]

I got my first email in 1998 when I was 19.... I went online at my school library and looked up all the weirdest things I could think of. Everything was great from then until Facebook got popular and suddenly every grandma and kid got online. Before then even the dodgy stuff and bullying wasn't even as evil as now. The internet is now so full of degeneracy Australia has basically been forced to censor it because it's literally full of kiddy fiddlers and rapey bastards now. I miss when we were all nerds with dark humour playing together. I loved that era. I'm sad it's gone.

[@moonflower6607]

@@mistressofstones did you go on aol at the time?

[@PetirGreffins2665]

The Internet before is entertaining, hilarious, fun and popular The Internet now has toxic kids/teens, racism, LGBTQ+, Cringe KZbin Shorts, copyright claim, Cringe KZbin Kids, and legendary KZbinrs dying from death and quitting☹️

[@iron6015]

Facts.

[@funnnehdude]

Don't forget to add politics!

[@gamayundoom]

I'm 17 and grew up poor on a 3rd world country, so I never got an opportunity to explore technology. Never experienced the "good internet", and I feel so, so bad about it. I feel a sense of nostalgia for a time I've never lived when looking at these throwbacks. It must've been a really good time.

[@SirIsaacClarke]

The Wild West days of the Internet were sure something I'm glad I experienced.

[@arbitrarylib]

Yes.

[@TommyWeber]

Doctor_Darling kzbin.info/www/bejne/o53PZpZvYq6YiKM

[@declan7164]

When was the wild west’s of the internet

[@mysticmoon3042]

Doctor_Darling word everything that’s news now we already know. the internet dead.

[@declan7164]

True Renegade just when I was born😞

[@patrickrobbins2672]

"Let's face it, the internet has become corpo-- " *forced ad* "... corporate." I agree.

[@V_Pranker]

OK BOOMER

[@CryptoNWO]

Laughs in youtube premium

[@V_Pranker]

And here I am laughing at your ass for paying the corporations to leave you alone! Adblock bitchhhhh

[@matwalker8698]

@@CryptoNWO laughs in ad blocker ;)

[@maxtheawesome4255]

@@matwalker8698 cries in mobile ¡_¡

[@FaizalKuntz]

I can't believe 3 years later internet still getting worse

[@GlinkBetweenWorlds]

right? Im releasing a video soon addressing that same sentiment

[@ustayussuf]

I really hate the fact that every social media is trying to copy each other...

[@drunkenskunkproductionsdsp8094]

I wonder how many people wished they were born earlier to see what the internet was before all of this.

[@seanvasquez523]

Well they would've only had around 7 years to realize this in the time-frame that I say was when the golden age of the internet was happening which for me (I was born in 2005 so I could only go by "evidence" that I see from other people and events in the tech industry) I say it was from around 2000 to 2007. 2008 to 2013 I say was the silver age of the internet and when social media was becoming bigger than it can ever be, and I say from 2014 onwards is currently the dark age of the internet or the whole stealing data from people thing.

[@UnchainedEruption]

I often wish I was born earlier to live in a world WITHOUT the internet. There's plenty of good it does us, and there are things I love from the 2000s, even early 2010s, but it sucks that I missed the 80s and 90s. Even the 70s oil crisis/inflation was not as bad as the Great Recession, let alone a pandemic.

[@jhinthevirtuoso4886]

I did

[@yespls4184]

I was born in 1996 so got a *little* bit of the golden age. By the time I was old enough to really appreciate it, it was already getting past the golden age. I was never on Myspace or anything, but I remember the extremely fun, exciting early days of KZbin where we'd just type random shit into the search bar and be laughing our heads off

[@Sklir942]

im one of them, i kinda wish i was born in like, 2004-2006 and not in 2009

[@hola-gy8te]

old websites felt really comfy. they felt secure, welcoming. it's a feeling i won't find nowadays, because everything here is trying to steal your personal info. it's a feeling i won't find nowadays because everyone is in a rush to control and silence those that dare oppose them.

[@fuesingblock2590]

I had thst feeling when I checked out the website called welcome to the old internet again

[@jibbygibs25]

Duck duck go thanks

[@garyclarkiii730]

Buckle up, cus it’s only gonna get worse. Digital ID, universal digital currency, it’s going to control every facet of our life, and it won’t be optional, you won’t be able to opt out. We’re already seeing the beginnings of it, and so many people are ignorantly cheering it on

[@fuesingblock2590]

@@garyclarkiii730 what if we ignore it?

[@noaag]

@@garyclarkiii730 If you're implying a cashless society, I don't really see that happening. And I may be uninformed, but this reeks of conspiracy theories a la 666 patent Bill Gates brain chip bogus. Would you mind elaborating?

[@deltamico]

The nostalgia from all of these comments is so strong. Even I feel it just from reading a few despite not experiencing the golden era myself.

[@gonzalo6890]

Well after watching this video I realized how much freedom, self-expression and creativity have been taken out from internet users. It's really sad. The safe spaces for creativity on the internet are no more. Everything has a template now, everything must follow certain rules. The internet is like real life now... plain

[@KratostheThird]

I complain about this all the time. Most of the kids making videos on KZbin now all use the same setups and templates anyway. I watch those old AVGN videos (Angry Video Game Nerd) and I realize there was a sense of charm, creativity and self-expression that is largely missing in today's KZbin.

[@missradicaljocy]

Remember when filling in a social media profile was fun?

[@kevin2400]

Now Facebook is ruined by sponsored ads... ugh

[@Apudurangdinya]

Yeah i spend hours and sometimes redone it after 10-20 minutes, now i just put random words when registering game or filling profile

[@shrooman768]

It still is. Just skip some of the more invading boxes.

[@ll-sz9fl]

It was never fun to me...

[@HAWXLEADER]

I miss people sexually identifying as an Attack Hellicopter!

[@caelanferguson9452]

We can't save KZbin. We just need to make a new one.

[@therealjezzyc6209]

Yes let's pretend that making a "new KZbin" won't lead to the same problems. If we somehow all leave KZbin to some new platform, then all the advertisers and people who started this mess will go there as well.

[@caelanferguson9452]

@@therealjezzyc6209 Well it took many years for KZbin to become what it is now. It would most likely take a while for that to happen.

[@slindl70]

Floatplane!

[@therealjezzyc6209]

@@caelanferguson9452 All the infrastructure is already available. The reason it took so long was because all the huge tech companies weren't as big back then as they are now. It would take maybe 6 months at most. If everybody leaves YT to some other platform won't be long till Google just gobbles it for lunch.

[@caelanferguson9452]

@@therealjezzyc6209 yeah i guess you have a point. I don't know how we will ever save KZbin

[@emimimix]

I remember the early stages of the internet when schools (specifically elementary/middle) banned students from filming or taking photos AND putting them on the internet. A couple of times I got suspended as a kid because I brought my flip camera and recorded stupid videos of my classmates. It wasn’t until high school that every school dropped that rule and ‘allowed’ recording everywhere, and now all kids have access to their phones and the internet where they can freely upload what they want when they want.