The net utopian ideal held that the Internet was an equalizing force that would empower the people through the free exchange of ideas and the formation of communities without borders. Codified in what is known as the Californian Ideology (so named for its proponents, hailing from Silicon Valley and other tech hubs in California), this was popular in the late 1990s as the Internet became more and more pervasive.
To say that it ended in disaster is a colossal understatement.
Today, Internet stands as a mixed bag, possibly well meaning and capable of accomplishing things with the right guidance, but is superficially unpleasant. Not unlike a teen, really. Puberty hit him hard.
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