The internet culture in the 1990s was built on conspiracy theories.
-
The internet culture in the 1990s was built on conspiracy theories. Many of the most influential hackers believed in UFO coverups, the deep state ("shadow government"), cryptids, and more. No govt rationale for anything - no matter how benign - was to be taken at face value.
And I'm not gonna tell you that it was good or that it was bad... but having been there, it's just kinda funny how many of the same folks now express concerns about misinformation on the internet - or lead govt or tech initiatives to keep it in check.
-
HD Moorereplied to lcamtuf :verified: :verified: :verified: last edited by
@npcomp @lcamtuf mid-90s hackerdom conspiracy theories always felt more fun than serious, but there was always a kernel of mental unhealth at the core; now those folks can find each other and ratchet things up until it spills into the real world, while crowds of "this site is fun" bros cheer them on
-
lcamtuf :verified: :verified: :verified:replied to HD Moore last edited by
@hdm @npcomp Yeah, although I wonder if we're rationalizing it to some extent.
I don't think it was all fun and games back then; as you note, there were people with mental health issues chasing these conspiracies, there was bullying, there was crime.
Even when we knew it's not serious, it was pretty messed up. Take the Time Cube guy - a mentally ill, raging antisemite invited to lecture at MIT for the lulz? I mean, yeah, it's a part of my culture - but objectively, pretty messed up? Today, every person involved in something like that would be canceled from orbit.
And while it did not have the same scale or the same impact, we kinda created the blueprint for others to follow. From UFO BBSes, to AboveTopSecret, to Infowars.
A cynical take is that we haven't gotten wiser - we've just gone from anti-establishment to being the establishment.
