Hacker News Reader

The Internet was infinitely more fun but also infinitely less useful.

I have the rosey glasses too. The reality is that it was just a bunch of edgy kids messing around with no adults in the room.

I’d love to go back to a completely non-commercial internet that only contains things people put there with no expectation or possibility of profit.

I may or may not be younger than you, that is of no relevance other than a vague appeal to defer to your experience about it.

I find plenty of valuable things on the current internet that wouldn't exist without commercialization, the possibility of a career as an individual YouTuber or streamer, for example.

And I'd like to see them continue and be actually paid for their efforts in a sustainable way instead of pining for a return to "all content is just passion side projects".

Because absolutely nothing about the current internet stops people from posting passionately as a side project.