# How can a Homo Interneticus Human be cyberilliterate? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 12, 2019, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-a-homo-interneticus-human-be-cyberilliterate/843311 "2019-11-12T02:00:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2019, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-a-homo-interneticus-human-be-cyberilliterate/843311/21 "2019-11-13T20:41:20Z")
> [@CCitizen](#): > > Usenet was the citadel of cyberfreedom – no moderation. While there was a lot of useful information on Usenet, it quickly degenerated into a cesspool of crap. It may have been freedom, but the overarching theme was anarchy. ---
**Author:** ![CCitizen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4af34b/32.png) [@CCitizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CCitizen)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2019, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-a-homo-interneticus-human-be-cyberilliterate/843311/22 "2019-11-13T20:49:16Z")
> [@ftg](#): > > Except when it [was](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Usenet_newsgroup#Moderated_newsgroups). Still, many Usenet groups were unmoderated. ---
**Author:** ![CCitizen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4af34b/32.png) [@CCitizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CCitizen)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2019, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-a-homo-interneticus-human-be-cyberilliterate/843311/23 "2019-11-13T20:51:41Z")
> [@Telemark](#): > > While there was a lot of useful information on Usenet, it quickly degenerated into a cesspool of crap. It may have been freedom, but the overarching theme was anarchy. Some people like anarchy. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2019, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-a-homo-interneticus-human-be-cyberilliterate/843311/24 "2019-11-13T22:11:47Z")
> [@CCitizen](#): > > Some people like anarchy. Sure, but don’t confuse it with freedom. ---
**Author:** ![CCitizen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4af34b/32.png) [@CCitizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CCitizen)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2019, 4:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-a-homo-interneticus-human-be-cyberilliterate/843311/25 "2019-11-14T04:41:13Z")
> [@Inner\_Stickler](#): > > Probably made a website or two on **geocities** or angelfire. By 2019, no one will use text forums. All forums will be video-based. My 2002 site is the source. ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2019, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-a-homo-interneticus-human-be-cyberilliterate/843311/26 "2019-11-14T12:48:23Z")
> [@CCitizen](#): > > Some people like anarchy. Some people want to watch the world burn. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2019, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-a-homo-interneticus-human-be-cyberilliterate/843311/27 "2019-11-14T13:00:37Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > Have you ever corrected paper tape with a “chicken plucker”? Nope. My sole coding was with punch cards. Fond memories of hunting through the Sciences building, looking for an unused punch card machine… ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2019, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-a-homo-interneticus-human-be-cyberilliterate/843311/28 "2019-11-14T13:19:47Z")
Part of what you do to turn any technology into a mass commodity is that you render it unnecessary for the end user to know or understand how it works (and the makers/sellers even seek to discourage more technically-oriented users getting “under the hood”). In practical terms this means a large part of recent people accessing the network do so on a virtually magic device that just shows them things and connects them to other people, through some myterious sciencey stuff. “It’s all a set of tubes” is about as much as you can hope. Then there’s also how the speed of technology evolution can lead the moderately technically inclined amateur user to a degradation of skills. > [@QuickSilver](#): > > Some people want to watch the world burn. Those are on 8chan or whatever replaced it, and Twitter 😛 ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2019, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-a-homo-interneticus-human-be-cyberilliterate/843311/29 "2019-11-14T13:34:16Z")
> [@CCitizen](#): > > Still, many Usenet groups were unmoderated. Still, “no moderation” is not the same as “many … were unmoderated”. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![RioRico](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f04885/32.png) [@RioRico](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RioRico)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2019, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-a-homo-interneticus-human-be-cyberilliterate/843311/30 "2019-11-15T02:27:22Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > Have you ever corrected paper tape with a “chicken plucker”? US Army didn’t like us RATTmen to do that but I’m sure it happened anyway. 🆒 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-a-homo-interneticus-human-be-cyberilliterate/843311.md?page=1)