The Internet was dream once, back when giant telcos ran circuit
switched copper line monopolies. It remains a dream today - unfinished
work we still have not realised. Because it's not a thing, it's a
social project.
There's a line in "Leave the world behind" [0] where Rose says about
Friends that it's feel is "nostalgic for a world that never happened"
It's called "anemoia" [1] It's many things. One is that it's a way
of expressing latent values that don't fit into the current culture.
"Small fish have no place to go" is a comment on a perceived reality
that misses (and so reveals) two important points; the Internet didn't
change [2], people did. It's not a place you go, it's a thing you do
and the attitude you bring to that.
But ultimately the Internet is nothing but people connected by
wires. People have moods we call "culture". Back then it was
unbelievably optimistic and giddy. People wanted to reach
out. Everything was ripe with possibility and fun. The OP is justified
to wonder what it was like to live then.
Now we know what kind of things are at the other end of that wire and
it feels more like a dark forest.
It's more than that people like me "just get older", the culture has
palpably changed for the worse. Climate change maybe. It's become
objectively more pessimistic and neurotic. Sure there's a few
hold-outs, but that takes a lot of Prozac to keep up.
Anyway, the future of the Internet is all about "small fish". That's
all it's ever been about.
There's a line in "Leave the world behind" [0] where Rose says about Friends that it's feel is "nostalgic for a world that never happened"
It's called "anemoia" [1] It's many things. One is that it's a way of expressing latent values that don't fit into the current culture.
"Small fish have no place to go" is a comment on a perceived reality that misses (and so reveals) two important points; the Internet didn't change [2], people did. It's not a place you go, it's a thing you do and the attitude you bring to that.
But ultimately the Internet is nothing but people connected by wires. People have moods we call "culture". Back then it was unbelievably optimistic and giddy. People wanted to reach out. Everything was ripe with possibility and fun. The OP is justified to wonder what it was like to live then.
Now we know what kind of things are at the other end of that wire and it feels more like a dark forest.
It's more than that people like me "just get older", the culture has palpably changed for the worse. Climate change maybe. It's become objectively more pessimistic and neurotic. Sure there's a few hold-outs, but that takes a lot of Prozac to keep up.
Anyway, the future of the Internet is all about "small fish". That's all it's ever been about.
[0] book: Rumaan Alam screen: Sam Esmail
[1] https://www.sciencefocus.com/the-human-body/anemoia-nostalgi...
[2] Of course the Internet did change technically, it got much bigger, faster, cheaper, more reliable etc.