>>4
The thing is while I'm using older technology as an example, I'm also not really wanting to "emulate the 90's" beyond just seeing if it is possible to have a more "offline" lifestyle without just using modern social media (which is really what the issue is) less, but rather thinking about either a new paradigm, or even resurrecting an old one.

The actual issue of connection now is solved, but it solved, but in solving it we have created new issues that, it seems to me, has a far more negative effect on people than the flaws of the past, that being that the internet is slow.

I guess what it all really comes down to is that I am just questioning the assumptions that we make about online conversion and whether we should change how we rate it and what standards we apply to it. Why do we call a community with less than a thousand people "dead"? Why do we call a message speed such that you can check once a week, "slow"? What is actually wrong with either of these things if you go to do other things.

It seems that so many people are ready to just go for total abstinence of the technology (NoSurf) rather than a reconsideration of standards.

I do admit though that a big issue would be people using technologies I'm talking about in addition to the more harmful technologies that pretty much everyone admits now to be bad.

On the subject of Usenet though, I wonder if it's massive list of groups is now more a hindrance than a blessing. Whether it might be better to just all consolidate into far less groups that will get far more interaction, so we abandon alt.comp.sys.amiga.whatever, and just go to alt.comp, knowing that while you share it with a larger pool of people, you might get more from it? I'm not sure. All I know is that I have a massive list of groups I'm subscribed to as a "just in case," if that makes sense.