What Next | Daily News and Analysis Bonus: When the Internet Stopped Being Fun
Jul 4, 2025
The conversation dives into the bittersweet evolution of the internet, contrasting joyful early experiences with today's disillusionment. Guests share humorous reflections on how a once-playful space has turned serious and corporate. There’s a nostalgic yearning for genuine connections and a call to step away from screens and reconnect with the world outside. It raises a thought-provoking question: Is anyone really having fun online anymore?
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Early Internet Nostalgia
- Mary reminisces about early internet days with Prodigy and BBS chat forums.
- She shares her handle "harlot number three" and her boyfriend's role as "the caffeine cowboy."
From Fun Space to Tool
- Scaachi views her generation as the last to experience the internet as fun.
- She says the internet is no longer a playground but a tool exploited by brands and governments.
Use Internet as a Tool
- Treat the internet realistically as a tool, not as a place for fun or escape.
- Using it as a tool helps in utilizing it more effectively and avoiding disillusionment.