ATS and the People Here

I was reading through this thread and it started me thinking about those threads that pop up occasionally talking about the 'old ATS'. This isn't supposed to be one of those. This has nothing to do with political threads or trump or anything. But a few things in that thread got me thinking.

I've been coming to this site for a long time. More than half my life at this point. I started coming here in 2004 when I was 15-16. My life was totally different then, i was half way highschool my mom was still alive, war just broke out again in iraq for the second time in my life. My life and the world's changed drastically but it's pretty much the only website I keep coming back to from then all these years later.

Bur it has changed...it's not the politics or the lack of conspiracies. There's always been politics, the conspiracies, paranormal and weird stuff has all kinda come and gone and come back again over the years.

But the way people here treat eachother and talk to eachother has changed. ATS always had this feeling of comradery or collaboration with the people here. Whatever your political beliefs or views on the world it was a place where people could come together and work together to solve the mysteries or problems of the world or even just come together to solve a good mystery.

It was always the people here vs. The things in the world that hold people down. Whatever the topic, whether it was politics, conspiracies, or even the religious stuff there was always some kind of common ground for people to discuss. Not that there wasn't ridiculousness before but it always seemed like the place where a bunch of great open minded people could come together and talk even if their lives and beliefs were different.

It just seems like everything now, even innocuous things, just lead to people here attacking, belittling or dehumanizing eachother. It doesn't really feel like the community it used to. It just seems like a place for people to get up on their soapboxes and drown eachother out with their opinions.

It just kind of makes me sad. I know a lot of the people here are genuinely good people and I have to think most people here care about the world or they wouldn't be here. It's just too bad people lately seem to be trying to bring out and focus on our differences rather than the similarities that bring us all here.

a reply to: dug88

I don't think what you are describing is partial to just ATS, it's social media and the internet as a whole.

I remember being a little girl and going on a plane ride was an amazing thing. You would get dressed up, just like church.
You had to wear a dress and fancy shoes, your parents would wear their best clothes. Oddly enough when people dressed up like that it seemed like everyone behaved better on the airplane, no rude behavior no outbursts. Boy have times changed!
As you can see now, people just wear sweat pants, and sometimes they don't even wear socks on airplanes. Don't even get me started on airplane behavior. It's become so common, so comfortable, maybe too comfortable. I think ATS (and the internet) is like that. Everyone is comfortable commenting online (most think it is still pretty anonymous) so they can spout off whatever they want. Some people on here drunk type. And of course, you have people on here that just want to argue. I wrote a post where someone basically asked why I made a post, umm isn't that what a site like this is for. He was really angry and it wasn't even a political post! sheesh

I still love ATS even with some of the rude soapbox people. There are a lot of hidden geniuses in here, and some really genuine people.

a reply to: dug88

I am still catching up on how to integrate the internet into my life.

I like ATS a lot.

I like broken things.

I'm a broken thing, too. Aren't we all?

I agree with much of your post. Well said.

Things have been getting worse for a while. New members bring less and less to the table and old members stop posting mostly.

But the biggest turning point was the Mud Pit. This introduced the worst of the worst and at the same time allowed such behavior to spill over to other forums. The mods also appear to be desensitized because of the mud pit, so a lot of stuff that should not be allowed is allowed to spill over.

Mud Pit has to go, staff could undergo a re-training on moderating and all of us members should be held to a higher standard by that staff.

a reply to: dug88

Feels like folks are talking AT others, and the communication is shallow as a result.

Thread after thread, with post after post of folks just stating their opinion, and never asking questions.

Maybe everyone knows everything already?

originally posted by: Mahogany
Things have been getting worse for a while. New members bring less and less to the table and old members stop posting mostly.

But the biggest turning point was the Mud Pit. This introduced the worst of the worst and at the same time allowed such behavior to spill over to other forums. The mods also appear to be desensitized because of the mud pit, so a lot of stuff that should not be allowed is allowed to spill over.

Mud Pit has to go, staff could undergo a re-training on moderating and all of us members should be held to a higher standard by that staff.

Absolutely dead on....

originally posted by: JAGStorm
a reply to: dug88

I don't think what you are describing is partial to just ATS, it's social media and the internet as a whole.

I remember being a little girl and going on a plane ride was an amazing thing. You would get dressed up, just like church.
You had to wear a dress and fancy shoes, your parents would wear their best clothes. Oddly enough when people dressed up like that it seemed like everyone behaved better on the airplane, no rude behavior no outbursts. Boy have times changed!
As you can see now, people just wear sweat pants, and sometimes they don't even wear socks on airplanes. Don't even get me started on airplane behavior. It's become so common, so comfortable, maybe too comfortable. I think ATS (and the internet) is like that. Everyone is comfortable commenting online (most think it is still pretty anonymous) so they can spout off whatever they want. Some people on here drunk type. And of course, you have people on here that just want to argue. I wrote a post where someone basically asked why I made a post, umm isn't that what a site like this is for. He was really angry and it wasn't even a political post! sheesh

I still love ATS even with some of the rude soapbox people. There are a lot of hidden geniuses in here, and some really genuine people.

I do see what you mean about people in general. There does seem like this strange tendency these days to treat public spaces like you're home and act the same way. Even when I was a kid I still learned the difference between the way you should act in public vs your home.

The thing about the internet though....it's weird. It doesn't seem the same as when I was young. Even with the much more prevalent anonymous posting back then it still wasn't the same. There were trolls, there were obnoxious idiots but...there still seemed to be a lot more room for discussion about things.

It seems like either websites end go like ATS full of people yelling or their heavily censored and moderated to the point of becoming an echochamber. I see this weird juxtaposition of people being angry and abusive, then immediately criticizing people for the language they use, someone having a different opinion is taken as a personal attack.

I'm not all that old and I feel like the world has just kind of moved on without me.

I dunno maybe the world's always been like this and I just never noticed...but it seems like even adults act like children or at least not what I always considered to be adults when I was a kid. The kind of behaviour that would have gotten me # as a child seems to be applauded and rewarded when adults these days do it.

a reply to: dug88

I did a bad job of explaining my flying in an airplane analogy.
Very few people flew back then, and when you did it was almost a treat. But now it is so available, just like internet access.
The internet even ten years ago did not have the same population as today, and growing. So like you said there were trolls and obnoxious people, now multiply them exponentially, and internationally and voila! Throw in some old racist folks, throw in some young folks that haven't had a world without social media, that's what we have now.

It has not always been like it is now, I can guarantee of that. You are not delusional!

I think a lot of people feel very supressed in public, even in their own homes and families. They can't really talk about things. Haven't you heard don't talk about religion or politics during the holidays? People do want to talk about them, and guess where we get to hear all that pent up talk?

a reply to: Mahogany

Yup but nothing will change, this thread will be closed....there is nothing to see here, no problem....move along now.

I asked for help with a computer issue the other day and I found the helpful responses to be heartwarming. I think at the core this site is made up of good, kind and helpful folks, but times have changed to where rights that were a given 10-12 years ago are now under assault by a portion of our population and politicians.

The stakes have been raised. I never thought I would live in an America that wasn't 100% behind free speech or an America that wanted to limit gun rights or change parts of our founding documents. These are all 'line in the sand' type issues that require a strong and sometimes emotional response.

When the topic isn't politics people on this site are kind and helpful. It is the desperation of the current political climate the divides us. I don't see people changing as much as the world around them.

Oct 30 ... there are 9 mud pits so far and it's almost 5:00 pm eastern

My side is right bias, no one wants to help debunk their side for fear of being wrong. Left/right, the implications would be to much then to handle.

a reply to: dug88

This site is half dead now. I think it has lost allot of people.
Im certain there are paid shills who come to this site to post the political stuff.

originally posted by: Metallicus
I asked for help with a computer issue the other day and I found the helpful responses to be heartwarming. I think at the core this site is made up of good, kind and helpful folks, but times have changed to where rights that were a given 10-12 years ago are now under assault by a portion of our population and politicians.

The stakes have been raised. I never thought I would live in an America that wasn't 100% behind free speech or an America that wanted to limit gun rights or change parts of our founding documents. These are all 'line in the sand' type issues that require a strong and sometimes emotional response.

When the topic isn't politics people on this site are kind and helpful. It is the desperation of the current political climate the divides us. I don't see people changing as much as the world around them.

Ya I seen your computer thread. I think I posted something in it. Don't get me wrong there's still lots of great threads here and still great things like that. Honestly even some of the political threads can be surprisingly chill these days.

The thing about the line in the sand though...it's not average folks drawing the lines but they're the ones being herded to either side.

I agree though the world seems to be changing, not for the better, I mentioned above it feels sometimes like the world moved on. Society or whatever seems to be trying to push everyone into a world of absolutes, with or against, our side their side but the world's not really like that and it never really has been.

a reply to: dug88

I wholeheartedly agree with you. We have digital egos here that love to feast.
I used to post 20 times a day...in the golden days. I miss the push for civility and decorum that was trying to raise the site to a higher standard. That was thoroughly ingrained in me and I still view ATS with those standards when I post now. The things I see on the boards now would never have been allowed then. Lower quality content and speach towards other members. Name calling. Attacks on members instead of topic discussions. I miss the warnings, the bannings...all of it.
The best days I had here, included all that and a higher standard of membership.
I miss my friends who left because things aren't the same.
ATS still has so much potential. ..but I'm not sure it will ever come to fruition.

I agree with you. It seems like back in the day a Thread Had to mean more to even get posted. Plus you had to back your story up with links, pics and your thoughts.
Anymore people make a post just to state a thought and they feel that is enough.
I used to enjoy the warnings and bans too lol.
There are so many intelligent and interesting people here but sometimes it seems like Now they are lurking.
I miss the old times.
a reply to: AccessDenied

a reply to: AccessDenied

I also agree with much of what you have said here. I used to look at ATS members as geniuses in their own topics, and some rightfully are. We have lost quite a few members too, either they left temporarily or in some cases, unfortunately permanently.

That light just doesnt shine so bright anymore it seems as you said, not sure if it will come to fruition.

It's not just here but most all types of forums,chats even in games, especially conspiracy leaning ones are having the same happen. Never seen it this rampant during the Bush years or during the Obama years. Make no mistake, I'm not dismissing specially titled chatrooms which were hot with participants during the Bush years, suffered the partisan trolling and overall nastiness. These had participation from partisan concerns to separate GOP and DNC chats. Participants on each side vying to make the other one look worse with trolling pretending they are on the opposite side of where they align.

The problem I see for many of us-or at least speaking for myself know some here use those- is we don't like social media platforms minus ATS and maybe some other forums that easily makes one wonder is it time to try to take up digital residence elsewhere when in the search of topics that this site originally had been famed by? What's left though if the communities are more populated with the newer participants contributing are present solely for partisan debate? Seemingly with not much caring of those who have been here longer's views.

We're seeing also the consequence of social media accounts being banned by the media corps, leaving those affected looking for a new place to call home on the web. Often with that seeing those seeking the new home, wanting it to change to cater to their ideals even worse those who have an agenda to spread through like minded ideas meant to sucker in people who agree with them into an extremist platform.

This issue when looked at further isn't a new one. With the amount of people hooked into the web and it being a main forum of not only information but entertainment as well. I've seen so many forums go the way of social media due to trolling in the past decade even before partisan sides have taken hold.

It's the side downside to the many positives of being hooked into the web. The nastiness was prevalent, and often railed against by some but now it's the norm. Sadly, many of those have found anonymity doesn't to with pictures and names- that can often be faked anyway on social media.

a reply to: JAGStorm

You're right about that people can't feel they can't talk politics irl in public. It's been like that for so long have people really now just gone off the hook from it online and off. Sadly when they do examples are abound to show what happens. No more keeping up with the Jonses when viagra culture in the form of partisan politics is a better control tactic over the population.