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The flip-side of this decay in the richness of the experience is that things are more idiot-proofed for mass consumption.

I liked the internet a lot more when the idiots couldn't use it.



That is a disturbingly elitist attitude. For some of these so-called "idiots", the Internet is their only way of connecting with communities that may not exist locally. Think, for instance, of a person who went blind late in life, who can connect with other such people even though they're in the middle of nowhere, thanks to the Internet. We shouldn't require such people to master arcane computer stuff as well. As someone who has developed software catering to this exact group of people, I have indeed been annoyed at their lack of proficiency sometimes, but I'm glad I could help them get connected.


A disabled person is not an idiot, nor is someone who's had the misfortune of no exposure to computers. An idiot is someone who thinks they're entitled to wield immense communicative power without the slightest effort or responsibility. It's every bit as easy to use the internet to destroy your life now as it was twenty years ago, perhaps easier. Maybe having to put a little work into it makes you respect the paradigm shift just a tiny bit more.




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