this post was submitted on 13 Mar 2026
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Microblog Memes

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A place to share screenshots of Microblog posts, whether from Mastodon, tumblr, ~~Twitter~~ X, KBin, Threads or elsewhere.

Created as an evolution of White People Twitter and other tweet-capture subreddits.

RULES:

  1. Your post must be a screen capture of a microblog-type post that includes the UI of the site it came from, preferably also including the avatar and username of the original poster. Including relevant comments made to the original post is encouraged.
  2. Your post, included comments, or your title/comment should include some kind of commentary or remark on the subject of the screen capture. Your title must include at least one word relevant to your post.
  3. You are encouraged to provide a link back to the source of your screen capture in the body of your post.
  4. Current politics and news are allowed, but discouraged. There MUST be some kind of human commentary/reaction included (either by the original poster or you). Just news articles or headlines will be deleted.
  5. Doctored posts/images and AI are allowed, but discouraged. You MUST indicate this in your post (even if you didn't originally know). If an image is found to be fabricated or edited in any way and it is not properly labeled, it will be deleted.
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253
Many were desensitized by the early, totally unmoderated internet. (media.piefed.world)
submitted 7 hours ago by The_Picard_Maneuver@piefed.world to c/microblogmemes@lemmy.world
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[–] fireweed@lemmy.world 29 points 2 hours ago (4 children)

I'm really confused what this could be referring to.

Because the folks who've been around the longest and remember the early days of the Internet are currently in utter dismay over how their fun international sandbox has become a Black Mirror-esque horror show, while everyone else seems to just shrug and obediently upload their face scans so they can watch AI videos of uncanny-valley cats playing cruel pranks on facsimiles of political figures in-between unskippable ads for applying to be an ICE agent under promises that it'll be like COD but in your own backyard with living, breathing brown people.

[–] Mycatiskai@lemmy.ca 1 points 12 minutes ago

I've been on since BBS's , I was just starting to understand it a little then it expanded to browsers, then there was the FTP's to share pirated software, ICQ to meet people from all over the world it was good.

Then it went to shit, the only good thing is that torrents have been keeping my media free.

[–] MilitantAtheist@lemmy.world 1 points 30 minutes ago

This my brother.

[–] Notyou@sopuli.xyz 2 points 1 hour ago

I was assuming OP means all those gross out pics/vids, or the death/violent stuff. Those pain olympics were something else, and I couldn't finish 2 girls 1 cup.

[–] yakko@feddit.uk 2 points 1 hour ago

Not just me then

[–] ZombieCyborgFromOuterSpace@piefed.ca 7 points 1 hour ago

I've been around since 94. It was never this bad. 

[–] gedaliyah@lemmy.world 13 points 2 hours ago (2 children)

me at 11, hanging out in public chat rooms with Neonazis, pedos, and scientologists debating the Hubble deep field without knowing what any of those things are but just happy to be included.

[–] Clent@lemmy.dbzer0.com 3 points 42 minutes ago

asl

Any people were responding with it. The post has overplayed the actual cautiousness of those who were around back then.

[–] The_Picard_Maneuver@piefed.world 10 points 2 hours ago

Public chatrooms were everywhere too. It was just the default, anywhere you went. AOL, yahoo games, random websites for no reason.

Even as late as Starcraft 2 (so 2010-), you'd open the game and immediately be dropped into a giant public chatroom on the home screen with everyone else currently playing.

[–] CubitOom@infosec.pub 9 points 3 hours ago (1 children)

A/S/L ?

[–] noride@lemmy.zip 11 points 3 hours ago

"15/f/Cali"

Says 99% of the dudes in the aol chat room.

[–] neuracnu@lemmy.blahaj.zone 21 points 4 hours ago (1 children)

“…the AOL days…”

That funny feeling when AOL users consider themselves the experienced, wisened ones.

[–] auraithx@lemmy.dbzer0.com 5 points 2 hours ago (1 children)

I mean aol stared in 1989 it’s been here pretty much from the start.

[–] Clent@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 points 46 minutes ago

I think only those who used AOL use it as a milestone. Those who used AOL were poorly regarded. It was a sanitized version of the internet.

[–] ShaggySnacks@lemmy.myserv.one 4 points 2 hours ago

Oh man, I remember being shown goatsee.

[–] Fleur_@aussie.zone 3 points 2 hours ago* (last edited 2 hours ago)

If this is all happened before why the fuck did you guys let it happen again

[–] ObtuseDoorFrame@lemmy.zip 26 points 5 hours ago (4 children)

If you aren't horrified by what's happening to Iran right now then you're an empathy deficient and that comes with a separate set of problems.

I'm 40, and absolutely remember the old internet. But the news traumatizes me so consistently lately I find myself crying every day.

[–] faythofdragons@slrpnk.net 1 points 18 minutes ago

When I was in the second grade, the OKC bombing rattled the windows of my school. The teacher left us to go find out what it was, and never came back. We went to the next classroom in search of an adult, she had a television on, and we all sat and watched live news footage of mangled children being pulled out of the building's daycare. I was 7.

You can't let it get to you though. Mourn them, yes, but neglecting yourself won't bring them back. You still deserve to pursue life and happiness, despite terrible things happening in the world.

[–] auraithx@lemmy.dbzer0.com 4 points 2 hours ago

I have a handful of colleagues in Iran so I probably emphasise with it more than the usual horrors but stuff like this has been going on non stop around the world my entire life so idk why you’d be uniquely horrified by it

[–] paultimate14@lemmy.world 16 points 4 hours ago

I don't know the context for this microblog, but I don't think whats happening in Iran is what he was thinking of when he said "digital horrors".

I remember seeing footage of bombings from the Bosnian war in the 90's. Well before digital video on the internet was popular, it was just on cable TV.

I don't know Lauderdale personally, but he has a funny YouTube channel and seems cool enough that I'm gonna hold off on judging this without context.

[–] MonkderVierte@lemmy.zip 0 points 1 hour ago (1 children)

Eh, you get used to it.

[–] ObtuseDoorFrame@lemmy.zip 3 points 1 hour ago

I hope not. As difficult as it is to be sad every waking moment, I think being numb to this would be worse.

[–] lemmie689@lemmy.sdf.org 8 points 3 hours ago (1 children)

I met my spouse on AOL 25 years ago.

[–] The_Picard_Maneuver@piefed.world 9 points 3 hours ago

That's amazing. It doesn't seem crazy these days to meet your spouse online, but I know y'all must have gotten some funny reactions telling people back then.

[–] banazir@lemmy.ml 81 points 6 hours ago (11 children)

The early Internet had a few simple rules:

  • Never feed a troll
  • Never trust anything written online
  • Never tell anyone your real name or address
  • There are no girls online (i.e. people are not who they claim to be)
  • Online is not IRL

And most people knew these rules. The proliferation of the Internet has brought a lot of people who don't understand these rules in to the fold and it has made the Internet a worse place. "Normies" seemingly think the Internet world works like your normal social interactions - it does not. The anonymity of the Internet brings out the worst in people. We really need to bring back the rules of the early Internet for the safety of everyone.

Feel free to comment more rules if you remember any.

As much as I miss the early Internet though, I genuinely do wish I'd had more protection from the seedier sites. I am not better off for having seen the gore and shock sites.

[–] merc@sh.itjust.works 8 points 2 hours ago (1 children)
  • Use a nick (handle, username) that doesn't give anything away

The people who came after me didn't know that one and started putting their birth year, hometown, etc. into their usernames.

[–] toynbee@piefed.social 2 points 1 hour ago (1 children)

One time I was chatting with a woman who told me she was single. I'm still not quite sure if she was, but she had a kid with the claimed ex. However, the ex - or whatever he was - found out I was talking to her and left a voicemail threatening me.

I don't remember what he said exactly, but I do remember one detail. She and I had only talked online and over the phone. I never gave any really location specific information to her, just my first and last name and phone number. In his voicemail, he said "I will find you. I will Google your ass!"

Even now, if you Google my first and last name, you get results about some CEO, not me. I've never tried googling my phone number.

[–] Clent@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 points 54 minutes ago

I've never tried googling my phone number.

Send me your phone number and I'll Google it for you.

[–] SaltSong@startrek.website 7 points 4 hours ago

"Pics or it didn't happen" doesn't really work anymore.

[–] schnurrito@discuss.tchncs.de 24 points 6 hours ago

Never tell anyone your real name or address

more importantly, if you do know the real identity of another participant, don't reveal it

[–] foodandart@lemmy.zip 18 points 6 hours ago

NGL, I saw the gore and shock as well - stileproject, rotten, marsonline, ogrish, bestgore... and even WPD on Reddit in the early days and it really did give me an appreciation for safety first! in almost everything I have done since.

The biggest rule was proof/cites linking to legitimate sources, (not conspiracy sites or your friend "Sally" on facebook) or it didn't happen.

[–] Protoknuckles@lemmy.world 9 points 5 hours ago (3 children)

The eternal September brought new people without end who never acclimated.

[–] yucandu@lemmy.world 1 points 2 hours ago

Broadband reached rural communities.

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[–] brap@lemmy.world 48 points 7 hours ago (25 children)

You also never clicked an advert or used your real name.

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