The best is over: The fun has been optimized out of the Internet
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- 20 minutes ago | 6 points | 0 comments
- URL:
https://muddy.jprs.me/posts/2026-05-03-the-best-is-over/- Discussions:
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48022992- Summary: This blog post mourns the loss of the "old Internet," contrasting its early spirit of amateur creativity with today's hyper-commercialized, algorithm-driven landscape. The author uses Gary Brolsma’s "Numa Numa" video—a spontaneous, joyful, non-commercial moment—as a symbol of early web culture, comparing it to modern platforms like TikTok where content is endlessly choreographed for algorithms. The piece fondly recalls platforms like Newgrounds and early YouTube, where people created out of passion, boredom, or obsession rather than as professional "content creators." Arguing that the "dead Internet theory" now feels like reality, the author suggests that AI-generated "slop" did not destroy the Internet but rather inherited an already optimized, machine-like environment. The conclusion expresses a loss of optimism that online experiences will continue improving, declaring that the Internet’s golden age of genuine, unscripted human expression has ended.