This is might just be me misremembering things, but I have a vague memory that, when the "internet trend" was starting to feel less like a trend, and more somet

This is might just be me misremembering things, but I have a vague memory that, when the "internet trend" was starting to feel less like a trend, and more something that had some staying power, people had a concern of looking ridiculous in the same way they had a generation before, during the nuclear age. "People will be driving nuclear powered cars on the moon!" etc. Mix in the fact that there was a trend of children making headlines for breaking into various high-tech or secretive areas, and it seemed more like something that didn't have much cause to be respected.