The internet when you were 12 in 2007: Most of your friends didn’t use it and neither did your parents. Corporations didn’t fully understand it yet, commercialization consisted almost exclusively of banner ads. The most popular social media was MySpace, of which you could personalize almost every aspect and nobody’s parents used. Instead of having one Nerd Website that everyone uses, you had accounts on a bunch of different forums related to your interests and each had its own unique environment. YouTube was an uncharted terrain of kids just like you uploading whatever they wanted, unpolished and unedited with no ad partnerships.
The internet in 2020: Literally everyone is online, every member of your family has an account on each of the most popular websites. Instead of being a place you can enter on your own terms when you’re ready, the internet now comes to you, giving you a little spike of anxiety with every new notification. Ad spam is everywhere and it’s becoming increasingly harder to differentiate between real people and marketing schemes. The most popular social media websites have streamlined, neutral colored UIs that cannot be personalized at all beyond a singular photo and username. Instead of being a haven for fellow weirdos, everyone is a denizen of the internet now. 90% of online activity for your interests takes place on a single website, the community is going to be devastated if it ever goes down but what can be done? YouTube is just mainstream television but on the internet now, YouTubers are rich celebrities who live in Hollywood mansions.
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