The Long September

(Score:2)
by Phaid (in_a_coma_dial_999@yahoo.com) on Tuesday March 20, @01:32PM EDT
(User #938 Info) http://debecker.tripod.com

Back before the internet sucked, every September brought a new influx of college students who experienced internet access for the first
time. For about four weeks newsgroups and IRC were in chaos as people flamed, ranted, and trolled away merrily. Then 99% of these
people discovered alcohol, dating, football, or classes, and went away. 

Unfortunately, now we have a steady influx of new "netizens" all the time, and television, magazine, and radio ads encouraging more and
more clueless people to join the internet revolution. This is the problem. You no longer need to be at a university, fairly large high-tech
corporation, or government agency to get on the Net, any moron can do it. And most morons, unfortunately, do. 

And that's the problem. There is no "vision", there is no evolution of anything with meaning on the Internet. It's just a giant mass of people,
most of whom have nothing to say, trying as hard as they can to say it and be heard. 

Oh well, it hardly matters any more. Everything worthwhile and free is being destroyed by idiots (IRC servers being taken down by packet
kids, newsgroups being turned into porn and warez clearinghouses are useless for discussions, etc) and the other "free" forums are dying
off as the advertising revenue that kept them going dries up. In a few more years the only "content" will be provided by giant media
corporations. Interactivity will be limited to choosing from a set of pasteurized, homogenized "content" designed to maximize clickthroughs
and eyeballs. The Net, like everything else that gains mass popularity, will fall to the lowest common denominator. 

And we deserve it.