# Things you dislike about the internet **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 20, 2002, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-dislike-about-the-internet/115058 "2002-06-20T14:10:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Tansu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/67e7ee/32.png) [@Tansu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tansu)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2002, 12:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-dislike-about-the-internet/115058/21 "2002-06-21T12:56:58Z")
Ah, but, Crusoe, if you have **unmetered** 56k dial-up, and it’s on at the time (which mine tends to be, at least 6 hours a day), then you make with the clicking. ---
**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:** [June 21, 2002, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-dislike-about-the-internet/115058/22 "2002-06-21T13:44:11Z")
- The sense of legal, ethical and moral impunity some people develop just because “it’s on the Net” - Sites with common, mundane, non-premium content that however presume that if you’re worthy of breathing, much less accessing them, you MUST have high-speed/broadband connections; and the latest Flash/RM/Shockwave/whatever plug-in installed. - “1337” typing, d00dz - (indeed, everything else on **dead0man** ’s list except for dead0man) - spam, spam, spam, spam, spam… ---
**Author:** ![Bren\_Cameron\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@Bren\_Cameron\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bren_Cameron_1)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2002, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-dislike-about-the-internet/115058/23 "2002-06-21T13:55:17Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by PunditLisa \* > **I hate when website owners don’t update their sites. I’ve been to sites that haven’t been updated in years. Why don’t the owners just delete them off the server?** Because if we did that other webmasters who linked to the site would have a dead link, which is, IMHO, much more annoying than an old, un-updated site. Besides, sometimes there’s old stuff there that you just don’t want to delete, that people still visit occasionally. ---
**Author:** ![Loopus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loopus/32/15343_2.png) [@Loopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loopus)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2002, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-dislike-about-the-internet/115058/24 "2002-06-21T14:24:08Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by PunditLisa \* > **I hate when website owners don’t update their sites. I’ve been to sites that haven’t been updated in years. Why don’t the owners just delete them off the server?** I don’t mind this as long as they put up a note saying that they will no longer be updating their page. Some dead sites contain useful content that is worth keeping up. I just hate it when it was last updated in 1998 to say “More stuff coming soon!” If you’re not going to update any more, say so! And ditto on pop-ups and spam. And pop-ups. ---
**Author:** ![gonzoron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a6a055/32.png) [@gonzoron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzoron)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2002, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-dislike-about-the-internet/115058/25 "2002-06-21T15:57:14Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Crusoe \* > \*\* > > Yep, I actually use online banking all the time. If all I want is a balance, though, I dial one number, type in my account number and two PIN code digits, then press one key and I get a balance. Faster than dialing up (for me, on a 56k, anyway). Same with movie tickets. \*\* For just a balance… maybe… I rarely need just a balance, though. I think it’s cutting it close, timewise. Really. I have a 56k, and dialing up isn’t THAT slow. For movie tickets, I’m sorry, I just don’t see it. I used to dread calling theaters. Soo… boring… Crossroads at three o’ clock… four fifteen… five thirty five… … zzzz… wha? crap! I missed the movie I wanted! \ Well, whatever works for you. > [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Crusoe \* > \*\* > I’m not against using the internet for banking and tickets, but against people who refuse to acknowledge that the internet isn’t necessarily the best medium for every task. \*\* True. There are a few things it’s not suited for. But very few. 🙂 hmmm… I can only think of one offhand: I don’t buy groceries online. (which I know works well for people without a car, or handicapped or whatever, but I live 2 miles from a grocery store. It’s not a problem for me.) ---
**Author:** ![ianzin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/ed655f/32.png) [@ianzin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ianzin)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2002, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-dislike-about-the-internet/115058/26 "2002-06-21T19:33:33Z")
Spam. Dead links. Pop Ups. Claggy connections. Drivel given free rein to masquerade as valid info, especially psychics, astrology etc. The propagation of illiteracy: there/their, where/were etc. Spam. Dumb design, e.g. dark text on dark backgrounds, psychadelic teensy-weensy text on Day-Glo background ‘art’. Spam. People imagining they’re the first to send me the latest ‘funny’ image that’s going around, which I saw 5 years ago and has been sent to me 34 times. Sites with crap background music that starts unexpectedly and is hard to shut off. ‘Flash’ crud. Links to interesting audio or video links that won’t run because I first need to download X, and then because I have operating system Y it turns out X will need patch Z which I can download from site A provided I first have plug-in B etc. etc. The ability to get interested and excited about movies I won’t be able to see for 18 months. Spam. Viruses and the hell-spawn offal-breath excrement who write them. Once-funny jokes that get way past their sell-by date but just roam the net, refusing to die. e.g. Mastercard ‘Priceless’ parodies. The pontifications of ignorant rent-a-gob politico dunkwits who have heard something about ‘criminals’ using the internet and conclude there is an urgent need for monitoring and regulation. Ditto those who cannot breathe the word ‘internet’ without also mentioning ‘porn’ and ‘paedophile ring’. Spam. People who write too much, like I’ve done here. Spam. And I actually **love** the internet. ---
**Author:** ![Hanna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b3f665/32.png) [@Hanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hanna)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2002, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-dislike-about-the-internet/115058/27 "2002-06-21T19:37:19Z")
More on that movie ticket / banking thing. I always use the internet for those things, because IMHO it is the best way. I also buy event/concert/sporting tickets online because it is easier than driving the 30 miles or so to the nearest ticket outlet or trying unsuccessfully to get through by phone. Given the choice phone or internet, I will always use the internet, I HATE phones. I hate answering them, talking on them…etc. If I have to make a phone call I will put it off so long that I often forget about it. What I dislike about the internet: When it goes down, ☹ Spam Obnoxious people Pop-ups ---
**Author:** ![Daerlyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/898d66/32.png) [@Daerlyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Daerlyn)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2002, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-dislike-about-the-internet/115058/28 "2002-06-21T19:58:51Z")
> [@](#): > > I’m still at a loss as to why some people I know will dial-up at home and search for movie times or bank balances online instead of just telephoning the cinema or bank. Actually, I prefer to do this, because if I use the phone I might actually have to speak to someone. You laugh and think I’m joking, but the thought of having to speak to someone I don’t know on the phone truly does scare me. ---
**Author:** ![Dibbler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e274bd/32.png) [@Dibbler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dibbler)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2002, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-dislike-about-the-internet/115058/29 "2002-06-21T22:14:01Z")
Aside from what’s already been mentioned: [ul] [li]Websites that serve proprietary code that only works with one brand of web browser.[/li] [li]Websites that unnecessarily redirect you to an error page if you have cookies or java disabled.[/li] [li]Plugins, including Flash, because I can’t control which websites can use them.[/li] [li]People who don’t understand their rights and responsibilities regarding copyright law. This goes for both the corporations trying to legislate fair use out of existance, and the pirates who are giving them an excuse to do so.[/li][/ul] ---
**Author:** ![dwc1970](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a183cd/32.png) [@dwc1970](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dwc1970)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2002, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-dislike-about-the-internet/115058/30 "2002-06-22T04:36:48Z")
Nobody has mentioned trollers yet. I hate to see a newsgroup or message board tainted with someone’s stupid and pointless crap which is often posted only to piss off the legitimate users of that group/board. Fortunately the mods here keep most of the kooks with nothing better to do out of here. ---
**Author:** ![Shalmanese](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shalmanese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shalmanese)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2002, 6:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-dislike-about-the-internet/115058/31 "2002-06-22T06:50:05Z")
The rate at which ignorance can be spread around the globe so much faster than before. No matter how fast information can spread, misinformation can always move faster. ---
**Author:** ![rjung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/45deac/32.png) [@rjung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjung)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2002, 8:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-dislike-about-the-internet/115058/32 "2002-06-22T08:14:34Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Dibbler \* > [ul][li]People who don’t understand their rights and responsibilities regarding copyright law. This goes for both the corporations trying to legislate fair use out of existance, and the pirates who are giving them an excuse to do so.[/li][/ul] **Dibbler,** if your handle is from Terry Pratchett’s character “Cut-Me-Own-Throat” Dibbler, then this is the most ironic thing I’ve read all week. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![white-tigeress](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f475e1/32.png) [@white-tigeress](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/white-tigeress)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2002, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-dislike-about-the-internet/115058/33 "2002-06-22T16:35:10Z")
Spam, microsoft, popups, spyware. ---
**Author:** ![Tabithina](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f04885/32.png) [@Tabithina](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tabithina)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2002, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-dislike-about-the-internet/115058/34 "2002-06-22T21:09:58Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Shalmanese \* > \*\*The rate at which ignorance can be spread around the globe so much faster than before. No matter how fast information can spread, misinformation can always move faster. \*\* Amen to that. Unexpected music. Flash! “Glurgey” forwarded emails…blearghh! Popups and pop-unders. People who are deliberately cruel to others online, behind a cloak of anonymity. SpamSpamSpamSpam! SpamSpamSpamSpam! ---
**Author:** ![Atreyu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5e9695/32.png) [@Atreyu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atreyu)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2002, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-dislike-about-the-internet/115058/35 "2002-06-22T22:26:00Z")
Spam. Trolls. Spam. Spyware. Spam. Pop-up ads. Spam. Chain e-mails. Spam. ---
**Author:** ![WV\_Woman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e95f7d/32.png) [@WV\_Woman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WV_Woman)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2002, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-dislike-about-the-internet/115058/36 "2002-06-22T22:32:05Z")
I think, at times, it can break down our ability to communicate in other ways. If you spend the vast majority of time expressing yourself through the written word, such as on boards like these and chat rooms, etc., perhaps over time you’ll find it harder to communicate verbally, face to face with someone? Real life conversations do not allow you to proofread what you’re trying to express and use the backspace key if need be, ya know? ---
**Author:** ![Hanna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b3f665/32.png) [@Hanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hanna)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2002, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-dislike-about-the-internet/115058/37 "2002-06-22T22:43:27Z")
I have always had a problem having conversations with other people, I can’t blame that on the internet. I dislike chit-chat, gossiping, talking about other people’s relative’s health problems, the weather, etc. I don’t like the awkward pause after I run out of words and the other person is acting like I must say more. Dead silence. I like the fact that typing a message cuts out that idle chit-chat stuff, I can get my point across quicker, and most importantly - when and how I want. ---
**Author:** ![Caesar\_s\_Ghost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/73ab20/32.png) [@Caesar\_s\_Ghost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caesar_s_Ghost)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2002, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-dislike-about-the-internet/115058/38 "2002-06-22T23:18:42Z")
How people can completely copy and paste a website for their own uses (plagiarism in schools, or for their own sites) and have no concept that this is wrong. That people feel free to flame and say things that they’d probably be too scared to say to the person’s face. Sometimes, I like the anonymity, but other times, I hate it. It makes it too easy for people to fake who they are and also for others to pass judgment based solely on age–often the one thing someone “knows” about another. (“Knows” in quotations because people lie about their ages.) I don’t dislike Flash–and I don’t think I should be able to control websites (it’s up to the webmaster), but when it is overused or used as a silly introduction I dislike it. How jealous I can get at web design that non-teenagers probably think is silly. How other people can think those who know more about the Internet than they do are ‘geeks’ but simutaneously rely on the ‘geeks’ for their everyday tasks. (Thinking about bosses here.) I don’t think the Internet has cut down on peoples’ ability for face to face communication. If any, in some cases, it’s probably heightened it: if people get used to thinking about what they say in IMs and backspacing and such, perhaps they’ll think about it more in real life. ---
**Author:** ![Neidhart](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Neidhart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Neidhart)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2002, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-dislike-about-the-internet/115058/39 "2002-06-23T13:31:14Z")
Sites that take forever to load because – surprise! – they have to give you a bunch of pop-ups first! Sites you’ve enjoyed reading which suddenly vanish without a trace (like [www.stockdetective.com](http://www.stockdetective.com)). Webmasters who seem compelled to completely revamp the look of their sites every few weeks. Imagine that every time you go to the supermarket, they’ve remodeled again and moved everything around. I wish they’d just find something that works and KEEP it! Yahoo Mail letting spam into my inbox instead of shunting it to Bulk Mail. Graphic-heavy sites which seem to assume everybody has DSL. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-dislike-about-the-internet/115058.md?page=1)