3 ms·

I think computers used to be cool but are no longer perceived as such.

by b0rsuk 7y ago

krapp 7y ago
I don't think computers have ever really been cool, except to a niche demographic. Prior to the ascendancy of the web, computers were the exclusive domain of nerds (who, as far as the mainstream was concerned, were very much uncool) and business people (eternally uncool.) After the web, the web was what was cool, but computers (and their use) just became mainstream.
- vikramkr 7y ago
  I think business people were definitely cool into he 80s. I wasnt there but the whole wolf of wall street Reaganomics thing was definitely cool even if it was destructive. And startup founders were definitely cool for a bit until we started hating tech. Rich people making money is almost always cool in American culture, whether it's startups or wall street or mob bosses
  - krapp 7y ago
    Maybe, I barely remember the 80s, so you might have a point. But even so, the cool business people tended to be the rich CEOs and Wall Street types (and I remember plenty of those as villains as well, think OCP from RoboCop) but still, they weren't the ones using the computers.
  - asveikau 7y ago
    Bill Gates was quite rich and ordinary people used to talk about him a lot. He was never seen as cool in that time. He's had a bit of a reputation increase since then, part of it is probably his philanthropy, but also nerdy people are much more accepted and celebrated these days.
    - b0rsuk 7y ago
      Really? I think it's the opposite. It's golden era for celebrities. You have fb, igram, yt and other platforms. You no longer need to be invited to TV or star in a movie. You can trivially publish a blog. Charisma never had as many opportunities as today. Trump, Boris Johnson - many people know they're compulsive liars and still don't care. Respect for academics is probably at its lowest. Science fiction was transformed from a popular science gateway drug to a source of colorful explosions and action movies.
- smabie 7y ago
  I think most people agree that cyberpunk is pretty cool, right? Even if you just see the movies, blade runner, ghost in a shell, johnny mnemonic, etc.

I think computers used to be cool but are no longer perceived as such.

by b0rsuk 7y ago

I think computers used to be cool but are no longer perceived as such.

I don't think computers have ever really been cool, except to a niche demographic. Prior to the ascendancy of the web, computers were the exclusive domain of nerds (who, as far as the mainstream was concerned, were very much uncool) and business people (eternally uncool.) After the web, the web was what was cool, but computers (and their use) just became mainstream.

vikramkr 7y ago
I think business people were definitely cool into he 80s. I wasnt there but the whole wolf of wall street Reaganomics thing was definitely cool even if it was destructive. And startup founders were definitely cool for a bit until we started hating tech. Rich people making money is almost always cool in American culture, whether it's startups or wall street or mob bosses
- krapp 7y ago
  Maybe, I barely remember the 80s, so you might have a point. But even so, the cool business people tended to be the rich CEOs and Wall Street types (and I remember plenty of those as villains as well, think OCP from RoboCop) but still, they weren't the ones using the computers.
- asveikau 7y ago
  Bill Gates was quite rich and ordinary people used to talk about him a lot. He was never seen as cool in that time. He's had a bit of a reputation increase since then, part of it is probably his philanthropy, but also nerdy people are much more accepted and celebrated these days.
  - b0rsuk 7y ago
    Really? I think it's the opposite. It's golden era for celebrities. You have fb, igram, yt and other platforms. You no longer need to be invited to TV or star in a movie. You can trivially publish a blog. Charisma never had as many opportunities as today. Trump, Boris Johnson - many people know they're compulsive liars and still don't care. Respect for academics is probably at its lowest. Science fiction was transformed from a popular science gateway drug to a source of colorful explosions and action movies.
smabie 7y ago
I think most people agree that cyberpunk is pretty cool, right? Even if you just see the movies, blade runner, ghost in a shell, johnny mnemonic, etc.