That’s true, but I think the core of human communication has always been half of what you’ve listed - low intelligence, hating, spam and narcissism. It’s just more obvious and amplified online as you can see everyone engaging with it all at the same time. In pre-internet times, you’d need to be physically present and see maximum a bar-full amount of people doing that.

I’m still very hopeful we will use the tech to help up us with some non-communication related things. Maybe something that’ll even off-ramp people outside the internet world.

>In pre-internet times, you’d need to be physically present

Because of that, the very real possibility of getting a punch in the face if you went over the line also helped curb those behaviors somewhat.

A sentiment often expressed, but I find it too close to “An armed society is a polite society” for my comfort.

Also: <https://www.butajape.com/comic/say-it-to-my-face/>

In the early days of the internet up to the early years of the web.

do you have any specific examples?