As children and teens in the early 00s it was very easy to see the internet as just some place you hung out with your friends on after school. As a kid, social media was for IRL friendships, and then we all had our forums and games and whatever else to consume privately. But it all felt like an after-school program since in all likelihood we were on our computers after getting home from school. The environments were very immature and often felt like kids were really the ones running the show. Parents didn't know how to use the internet and had no idea what kids were getting up to. Today kids still flock to whatever app their parents know the least about. But back then, it all seemed so youth driven, and I suppose in the back of all of our minds we all knew we'd give it up after graduation/moving out/first job/etc.

But now all those playgrounds are serious platforms that affect the world. Non-participation actually can have economic consequences in some cases. What happens on Twitter can affect the news cycle for days. You can't really "grow up" anymore by leaving the internet, because the internet is everywhere. Serious business and whatnot. You can "mature" by stop saying the n word and stop browsing imageboards, but you can't really just get up and abandon the entire thing and go join "the real world" anymore.