Guys, I think I figured it all out. What's wrong with the

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Guys, I think I figured it all out. What's wrong with the internet that is.

Back in the day, by deviating from mainstream sites and just posting on oddball forums or even when playing online games it felt like you were really a part of that stereotypical internet world where you never know who anyone really is and nothing could be taken seriously.

This isn't just nostalgia or mistaken memories, we've just forgotten how that used to feel. Some things that might jogg your memory are to recall that we used to actually see warnings about that on TV or when registering for stuff.
"youtube celebrities" used to say it was more of a curse back then, some even claimed it ruined their lives, and that's because so few people used their real identities that being an internet meme actually would make you a target.
"Trolling" is literally a fishing method to make the bait _blend in_ with other fishes, and that word was used because that's exactly what trolling used to mean and they were much harder to spot meaning you couldn't always believe what you read (funny that today people call it "sincerity trolling" but back then we just called it trolling)

Today, by contrast, I can't even remember the last time I've seen (anywhere) a reminder to younger generations that you can't always trust things (or people aren't always who they seem) online.

I guess the phrase "it's a small world after all" applies to the history of the internet too. Everyone felt it was a much more crazy place than it really was and that resulted in a certain attitude toward everything. Now that the internet has become more tamed, standardized, more real world laws have been spilling over into cyberspace to make people accountable for shit, and "big data" has figured out that it's extremely profitable to create an internet where its second nature to sincerely share opinions and your identity
it seems that sort of wild west attitude is something barely even remembered by the people who lived it.