While I do think nostalgia plays a big part in this feeling, I also think a major contributing factor is centralization. Instead of fragmented forums and IRC ch

While I do think nostalgia plays a big part in this feeling, I also think a major contributing factor is centralization. Instead of fragmented forums and IRC channels where people would congregate for years, we generally have moved on to things like Reddit, and Facebook. Dunbar's number states that the number of relationships someone can comfortably maintain is about 150 or so. Sense of community comes from connecting with small groups. I do not feel a sense of community by chatting with strangers on /r/funny. Decentralized forums or IRC channels run by small groups were much more accessible, and allowed you to connect with people and form relationships. That all said, IRC channels and independent forums do still exist. Hobby forums are great (I personally love the Small Form Factor PC forum, great community[1] ). But today, small groups are the exception and not the norm of the internet of the 90s and early 00s. [1]: https://smallformfactor.net/forum/ https://smallformfactor.net/forum/