I think smartphones brought a second Eternal September. The Internet used to largely attract the sort of people who by and large weren't ordinary. Hobbyists, artists, people interested in science, generally creative types. There was an expectation that you were participating in something and not just consuming. It used to be that if you wanted to say something, you had to expend some creative energy and build your own web presence. Now the average internet user is idly flicking through an endlessly scrolling feed to avoid a few minutes of boredom. Mindlessly consuming.

Just one of many nerd subcultures appropriated and gentrified by the masses.