feeling vindicated (petty)
This experience is probably highly personal and location-dependent, but oh well.
In my teens, it was so uncool to be online where I lived. I was mocked and bullied in school for having social media and always being online whenever they logged in (back when you actually had to log in on your PC). And actually using the service was cringe! Filling out info, uploading images, posting statuses? Umm, who do you think you are? Are you some kind of attention seeker? Are you addicted to likes? Do you think anyone cares about you? It was the typical teenage detachment and attacking others so no one comes for you. Can’t be attacked if you don’t care about anything ever, allegedly. So I was deeply uncool for doing all that, and a loser. Only losers post online, record videos or show what they’re doing online.
Then fast forward a few years, now everyone was super online and always on their phones. People posted tons and so many tried to become famous in some way; Youtuber (eapecially Let’s Player), streamer, IG influencer… suddenly posting was okay, because it could make you rich and initially, these people were so idealized and had the dream job. This is still going on today even, with everyone and their neighbor now having a podcast in hopes of blowing up.
I remember thinking: Oh, now it’s okay? The second you saw some of the “”losers”” online sharing themselves and making money off of it, now you want in on that too? Now you’re the addicted ones that are always online? I remember how everyone treated girls who got nudes shared without consent or who got caught posting them online, and now everyone has an OnlyFans. Is money the only reason people think something is okay and not cringe to do? You literally clowned on the people you’re emulating now and partially, you hated people who were ahead of their time for no good reason.
It happened again later on, when I got branded a weirdo and lowkey conspiracy theorist for deleting my socials and modding r/nosurf for a while. The sub had like, what, 4k back then and grew to 10k while I was there. I remember Reddit threads where people were going on and on about how we’re extremists and weirdos and Luddites with no friends, how none of the deceptive and addictive design choices we talked about were true, and that it’s just our problem - everyone else was fine and they could quit anytime they wanted. Now look around you! Digital detox is everywhere, a sea of articles about how bad social media is, dozens of books about the topic, and suddenly even your coworker can explain to you how addictive social media can be and bemoans how they can’t quit. 255k members. Now they’re suddenly all cutting back or leaving.
The groups I talk about are obviously not a monolith; just because some people they have something in common with were jerks doesn’t mean they are. They aren’t responsible for that and I’m not mad at them. There’s just a tiny part of me that’s like “Wow, you all laughed in my face about various internet things I did since I was 12, and every time sooner or later you did the same thing.” I was not weird, I was right.
So hey, hope they’re going to have fun (re)discovering blogging in 1-2 years.
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Published 15 Feb, 2025