It’s kind of night and day. 1996 was pre-9/11, pre-smartphones, pre-social media, and pre-surveillance-and-propaganda states. The internet was unrecognizable, and only a small groups of people outside certain settings like school or work had any access to it.

The two moments have similar threshold vibes: new technology is on the horizon, everyone knows it’s going to change the world, and nobody really knows where it ends. But the emotional tone is completely different. In 1996, that change felt hopeful. In 2026, it feels like incoming slavery.

Back then, the drivers of change still felt human. There were wealthy people and companies involved, but there were also stories of 13-year-old coders, hobbyists, weirdos, pirates, and people building world-changing software in dorm rooms and basements.

Now the future feels managed. Everything is being pushed, enclosed, monetized.

Fuck I'm tired.