The Internet : Better or Worse?

[Lady Kakata]

I've been on the internet for quite a while. Is it just me, or has the whole internet just gotten nastier?

 

I remember being younger and enjoying being part of message boards, RP'ing, having a real-life internet addiction. I even fondly remember my first RPs and being made welcome on a particular South Park board that sadly no longer exists due to creator neglect (I wish I had joined sooner! ;^; I recently found screencaps of the forum and the memories came flooding back)

 

But these days, the internet just seems to be a nasty and hate-filled place. I see places like ED, Deviantart has gone down the tubes, and everyone is out to troll everyone else. I've deleted a large amount of my stuff because I'm paranoid that I'll become a troll target, and some message boards do not exactly welcome you if you don't fit the tone of the new place or if you complain about something. Unless you make a few friends or post about a topic that's popular.

 

I dunno, is it just me going out into the darker places of the net, outside of the nicer art-zones where actual artists took me under their wing and I chatted with other beginner artists? Or has the advent of Anonymous, ED, various 'butthurt' clubs on DA and elsewhere ruined everything?

 

Please discuss!

[eightbitdimwit]

It became more accessible. There's still good content, but now everyone and their mother uses the Internet to some extent, so there's more to sift through when you're looking for particular crowds and content. Most everyone has gotten used to it being an anonymous outlet, so in addition to housing support groups and social circles, it's also a place where people can behave like they couldn't offline with precious little consequence for it and use it as a substitute for real-world things. It's a whole new world in here.

 

As for trolling, there were always trolls who were unfunny and rude instead of witty, satirical, and selectively offensive. At some point, it became "cool" and attracted hordes of people who are awful at it. There are still trolls who make people laugh, rattle the cage bars of the Internet's idiots, or make a point, but there's so many more who don't that it's all most people think of now when they hear it. It's the difference between being the class clown and pissing off the right people and just being a bully that only other bullies think is funny.

[Kaana]

I don't know if I'm just blind or what, but I find it very difficult to find a lot of these things unless I go looking for them. When I first got into the internet and started fangirl-ing, I'd read a lot of "OMG DERZ MARYSUEZ EVERYWHERE!!!!!11!", but I found I had to search quite specifically to find the mass hoards people talk about.

 

I think TDNF is proof that nice forums still exist, and even the "horrible" forums usually have some nice people in my (admittedly limited) experience. The worst forums and groups are usually the ones built around hate, because they breed negativity which is easily redirected at people.

 

It seems to be that no-one wants to be a n00b, and if that means they have to pretend to be better than they are, so be it. That usually results in embarrassment when they don't live up to the expectations. You don't see the kind of mentor/I'm gonna take you under my wing now thing happening on the internet because people are afraid they'll get trolled for being bad. Then the really good people get trolled for being popular.

 

I think in the end, to simplify, it's like being on neopets. You can go on the big sites, where everyone else is, and you know it's more likely you;ll get trolled (the boards), you can try and get accepted for the exclusive sites, and get attention that way (art gallery, html spotlight, neopian times, etc) or you can keep on tacking away on your own website (user/pet lookups, pet pages) and hope to get noticed in that quiet way.

 

(I honestly forget what my point was, but oh well)

[Zorse]

I feel the same way. I used to be a member of many communities that were fun and friendly, and now are invaded by the nastiest people.

 

Though I don't believe the rude people are simply trolling- they're just rude people who are nasty to everyone they come across, then make friends with other people who are just as mean as they are. Then those people attack other people within that community, until that whole community is ran by nasty people. This happened to the many forums and games I used to be a member of.

 

The mmorpgs I used to love to play aren't even fun anymore. Years ago (like 5-7) the games were incredibly fun and built around team work. Now it's near impossible to make it through a mission without someone cussing you out the whole time and rage quitting at the end, and it doesn't matter how good of a player you are, it's never good enough.

 

Even on neopets, many of the boards used to be very fun to post on and now they're just downright scary lol.

 

I'm just really glad I found this forum. I've been searching for years now for a friendly online community and this is the first one I've come across.

[Vivies]

Well, I don't think it's the quality of the internet, it's the amount of people with computers. The internet is what it's always been; we are the ones who make it what it is. Wherever there's large groups of people, there will be conflict. There will be antagonists, and there will be people who are desperate for attention. There are people who enjoy cowering in anonymity and spewing all the things they can't in real life. I'm sure we all enjoy that in some aspect. But people are definitely out to one-up each other, and we're definitely all a bit more desensitized.

[lilshadowdweller]

The internet is the same as it always has been for me .... aside from having more content.

 

When I was 12, I first got the internet. I remember chatting like this; "omg so kewl guyz I luff life!111" I got yelled at pretty badly. I understand why, but people didn't get that I was new to the internet and that I was taught speaking like that was 'cool' by me peers. There was so mercy or understanding. Of course, I quickly changed as I adapted, but I definitely did NOT feel welcomed...

 

I remember having difficulty finding places to discuss issues with. And I also remember many of my message board communities eventually transforming into war zones. But that same drama happens in reality.

 

I think it has more to do with changes. Gradually, over time, the people you knew leave, for whatever reason. They get bored. They get tired. They move onto other communities. The website updates itself. Younger, newer members come on -- and you become, essentially, "outdated". You no longer fit in. You don't/can't relate. That's what happened to me. I was just so different and everyone was so different from me.

 

I think that's more of what happens.

[Trig]

I think the internet is pretty much the same, but as you grow up you become exposed to a lot more of it. Now that I'm older I am into different things, I go on tumblr, and because I'm into some of these different things I unfortunately stumble upon stuff I really wish I didn't stumble upon every once in a while. I think you also have to be more concerned about what you put out on the internet now, but I still don't think it's really changed. TDN is a good place to chat with people, and you guys are pretty good at making people feel welcome :) It's so nice. I think too that it's so much easier to get a computer, or access ANYTHING on a computer, so definitely everyone and their brother does it. Think about it, now you get home and go on the internet, and that's it, and people spend SO. MUCH. TIME. on it (myself included!)