Not just Usenet, although it's the most well remembered example. Anywhere people could congregate on the early internet had its share of dark alleys where peopl

Not just Usenet, although it's the most well remembered example. Anywhere people could congregate on the early internet had its share of dark alleys where people would trade porn, warez, and political diatribe. IRC especially but also on the web if you accidentally strayed too far off the beaten path. The modern Internet is basically less like a city and more like a shopping mall now.