I don't really agree it's unfortunate. I think the "throw everyone into the same pot" has been an unfortunate side effect of the commercializing of communication. BBSes and forums were allowed to grow organically. They weren't for everyone, but anyone who wanted to be a good-faith participant in the conversation was generally welcomed, while baddies were moderated out by moderators who were actually empowered. Some would say over-empowered (there was plenty of drama about moderators having biases and what-not) but then communities could split without people necessarily feeling like they had just been excommunicated from a global forum like Facebook or Twitter.

In short, I think people are wired to do better in smaller groups and I welcome this balkanization, albeit with the caveat that the communities can interconnect and grow/shrink/die/emerge organically to suit the needs of the people within them instead of commercial investors.

I'm saying 'unfortunate' because the open internet has some beautiful corners. There is some good in the world, and it's worth fighting for[0].

But on the other hand it's hard to deny that the mainstream internet is getting worse and worse. I grew up with the internet as my nanny, but I'm moving closer and closer to the idea that smaller groups focused on specific interests really do provide better experiences.

Perhaps it was never meant to be, and the sweet spot is just living your life completely offline and using the Internet for Wikipedia and Whatsapp.

[0]: https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/7444411-it-s-like-in-the-gr...