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deathlydope t1_iuav8yn wrote

> As the internet became a widely used corporate mass media space, it seemed to lead to the hostility, acrimony, and division we see in the "real world." I wonder sometimes if the need for market segmentation was pushed online for purposes of creating advertising demographics.

Maybe, but it's just as likely an inherent side-effect of the increase in population online.

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MC_Fap_Commander t1_iuaw581 wrote

It probably makes sense. Early internet was not user friendly or cheap so I think there was a bit of a selection bias in who used it. When online access was made as easy as tapping a phone button, a very different sort of population arrived online. They brought their identity biases with them. For a lot of us in the 90's, the internet was our identity.

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