> But back in the 2000', a lot of "social network" were IRC server/channel and forums. And they were often small and meant for a specific community/hobby/intere

> But back in the 2000', a lot of "social network" were IRC server/channel and forums. And they were often small and meant for a specific community/hobby/interest. I was never a heavy IRC user, but yeah back in the 00s, especially the earlier two-thirds, I had several different forums on my browser hotbar that I’d make the rounds through a couple of times each day. Kind of miss that honestly, each forum was its own unique beast with an entirely different set of personalities without also being polarized. Contrast that to modern social networks which have a samey grey-paste quality unless one seeks out highly polarized services, which are often too caustic to spend time in without risking becoming similarly caustic yourself.