It was better back then. Web 1.0 had us all existing in little microcosm communities and was a wonderful time to be a nerd.

Fandom was a lot less entitled because we were just happy to have things to be fans of. The fringe elements of the internet were kept exactly there and some tin hat conspiracist was only paid attention to by a few others on their personal guestbook.

Social media came along, tore down the walls, bulldozed those villages and gave the fringes a platform. It turned the internet from a fun timewaster into a waste of time.