Does anyone else feel it? There's a new paradigm afoot that's taken hold here, the places we frequent and the Internet in general.

There used to be a general cohesiveness, a sense of community. That we were truly in a way, as we used to say, a band of brothers. A shared purpose, a shared history. That we were more alike than we were different, even during feuds. We belonged. I'm not sure if it's the new nature of the net, which is more diverse and inclusive, displacing the white male nerd. Or the younger generation co-opting and usurping our culture taking it for their own. Perhaps both. Maybe we've matured and have moved on with our lives (let's not kid ourselves, most havent).

I can't help but feel as I sit here typing this on my smartphone, like an old man, sitting in a diner alone, wearing a cap with the insignia of the military unit he was once a part of. Eating my meal with a sense of loss and a profound melancholy. We've been through so much together and it seems to amount to nothing these days.

What can we do? Will we ever feel that sense of belonging again? Are we waiting for a new site, a new community, another paradigm shift? Or just rotting away at the end of it all, time to pack our bags.

I hate to add another depressed note on the matter but it's an issue that's been on my mind. As one anonymous said, the only solution is to become tastemakers ourselves, but I no longer have it in me and I'm sure it is much the same with most.