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Back in 2006, the web was still largely something for nerds. The average person wasn't putting up the same time online as, for example, an MMO player whereas to

Back in 2006, the web was still largely something for nerds. The average person wasn't putting up the same time online as, for example, an MMO player whereas today, the average user is online just as much or more than an "early adopter". Average people would have checked the weather, gotten directions somewhere, maybe scrolled through an article or two, checked sports scores, etc. It was always something shallow that could be handled quickly. So yeah, making fun of someone for believing Internet trash was commonplace, because it was barely a source for good information. These days, the web is basically an essential utility to participate in society. Just look at how many people are walking down the sidewalk with their face glued to their phones. Companies have tried to leverage this connectivity to spread information. Paper news is a dying industry, because they've all gone digital. It makes sense for people to get worked up these days. Communication via the internet (or at least digitally) is the de facto method. Teachers and professors used to chastise Wikipedia since anyone could edit it. However a lot of people realize that Wikipedia's citation system makes it a great research staring point. Connectivity is ubiquitous. This isn't the same Internet culture from 2006, and it's odd to treat it like it is.

ianai 9y ago
What changed and made it so people couldn’t lie on the internet?
- noxToken 9y ago
  It's not that people can't lie on the Internet. Back then, it was more or less expected that whatever was written on the Internet is no more truthful than someone telling a story. One of the major differences was that people we're necessarily tied to their online personas like we are today. What I mean to say is that the Internet is currently more closely linked to reality than it was back then. Digital identities aren't necessarily a separate entity from who we are. It may be a version of ourselves that we want to represent, but they tend to represent a part of us. This is why you may not have cared if some dipshit harassed you online back then. The internet was a mere source of entertainment. Now that it's an arguable necessity, it's no longer just an avatar getting attacked or lied to; it's the person behind the keyboard.

ianai 9y ago

What changed and made it so people couldn’t lie on the internet?

noxToken 9y ago
It's not that people can't lie on the Internet. Back then, it was more or less expected that whatever was written on the Internet is no more truthful than someone telling a story. One of the major differences was that people we're necessarily tied to their online personas like we are today. What I mean to say is that the Internet is currently more closely linked to reality than it was back then. Digital identities aren't necessarily a separate entity from who we are. It may be a version of ourselves that we want to represent, but they tend to represent a part of us. This is why you may not have cared if some dipshit harassed you online back then. The internet was a mere source of entertainment. Now that it's an arguable necessity, it's no longer just an avatar getting attacked or lied to; it's the person behind the keyboard.