Whew…this could be an incredibly long list, don’t you think?
Because the Internet has changed pretty much every single aspect of our lives…and there’s no turning back.
So that begs the question, “what do you think was ruined by the Internet?”
Check out what AskReddit users had to say about this.
1. You’re right.
“Attention spans.
This. I don’t feel like I can just wonder about things anymore, I have to look it up.
Never thought endless streams of information would be my downfall, but here we are.”
2. The thrill is gone.
“I used to have a pen pal.
Then we both got the internet and the novelty was gone.”
3. Sad.
“Childhood innocence.
I read in Time Magazine a few years ago the average age a child is exposed to p**n is nine years old, and not finding your dad’s Playboy either.
That just seems wild. That and seeing execution videos drug cartels upload. That has to f**k a kid up.”
4. Lame.
“Trivia nights at bars.
People who cheat at trivia night at bars are s**t people.”
5. Insanity.
“Romantic relationships.
People on social media spread oodles of toxicity and make you overthink every little thing, it’s insane.”
6. Ruining it.
“More tourism to places that are nice and beautiful and clean.
They aren’t after someone’s post goes viral or an influencer goes there.”
7. Yup.
“Privacy.
This is the creepy part.
Not just algorithms figuring kids out but social spaces like Twitter have teenagers listing their age, beliefs political stances on every subject and sometimes traumatic triggers.”
8. For real.
“Secret things.
Before the internet, you had to really find out about certain things in the world. A beautiful campsite where only a few people know about it, some hidden rules in Disneyland, etc.
When people post about it, things change and nothing is special anymore.”
9. Rock on.
“Listening Parties
I was a teen in the late seventies. My buds and I would get together on Sunday afternoons, smoke a little bud, and each bring three albums. We would then listen to music until dark and hear things that weren’t in our collections. During these listening parties, I first heard a lot of stuff people call classics today.
I was a big fan of Yes and ELP. David was into Rush, Pink Floyd, and Jethro Tull. Joey was into Black Sabbath, Van Halen, and the Doors. Joey’s older brother had Camal, Can, and some stuff I don’t remember other than it was cool.
I don’t think we ever had a name for this. We all got to hear each other’s favorite music and hang out. It was a lot of fun, and I miss it. I can’t imagine such a thing surviving the internet age, but something cool has been lost.
This afternoon, I dove off into the old vinyl and listened to some Alan Parsons and Jimi Hendrix. Just the thing for a rainy Sunday afternoon.”
10. Sad.
“Conspiracy theories.
Used to be something interesting to hear or wonder about. You would randomly or rarely meet an actual conspiracy theorist or see one in a movie.
Now everyone has an aunt or uncle or friend who has just gone off the deep end and it’s just sad.”
11. Yes!
“Magazines.
I loves getting magazines in the mail.
Couldn’t wait for Monday when Time and Newsweek came.”
12. Bummer.
“Pawn shops / thrift stores.
You used to be able to get some cool finds with certain shops specializing in one thing or another.
Now they just take the item and hop on ebay and price it the same.”
What do you think was ruined by the Internet?
Sound off in the comments and let us know.
Thanks, amigos!
