The closure of the Internet is the most important social phenomenon of the late 2010s. Most young people live online. More than half of American adults under 50 say they use the Internet “almost constantly”. Globally, almost 70% of people are online, and the average Internet user spends almost seven hours a day there. Cyberspace is where most couples meet, where most friend groups hang out, and where most people have fun. There is no alternative for even semi-serious intellectual or hobbyist discussion outside of a handful of low-capacity and carefully gatekept institutions. The word “censorship” does not go far enough; online went from almost completely open and free to a series of “closely monitored playpens,” like going from the American frontier to East Germany in just a few years.

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https://arctotherium.substack.com/p/the-closure-of-the-internet