I call this phase the proliferation of stupidity.
Back when the internet started, it was mostly university professors and students using it.
Now its mostly people that are not sure if the world is flat or not.
Back when the internet started, it was mostly university professors and students using it.
Now its mostly people that are not sure if the world is flat or not.
It's not just "more stupid people are using the internet more", it's also "very smart people have changed the way that 95% of people can interact with the internet."
Stupid people click on adverts. So, businesses promote and foster stupidity.
Large businesses like Facebook, Reddit, and other social media is about collecting the largest pile of ad-clicking morons together in a package and selling access to advertisers.