How things the internet has genuinely improved and things it has made worse?

[Josh_79]

Not looking for the obvious takes in either direction. Interested in specific examples where the internet has delivered something genuinely better than what existed before, and specific examples where something that used to work well has been made measurably worse by the internet or digitisation. The honest version of both sides

[EventHorizon55]

Genuinely worse: local news. The advertising model that funded local journalism moved entirely to digital platforms that did not share the revenue. Local newspapers closed or reduced to skeletons. The accountability journalism that covered planning decisions, local council corruption and community stories is largely gone

[Maxximus]

Genuinely better: access to specialist medical information that used to require finding the right consultant. Not WebMD panic spirals but the actual ability to look up a diagnosis, a drug interaction or a treatment pathway and arrive at a specialist appointment informed rather than passive

[Kev5]

Genuinely worse: restaurant and hotel reviews. The rating system that was supposed to surface quality has been gamed to the point where the 4.7 average means almost nothing. The most reliable restaurant recommendations in 2026 come from the same place they came from in 1996 - a person you trust telling you directly

[Sequence]

Genuinely better: learning almost anything practical. YouTube tutorials have democratised skill acquisition in a way that is genuinely remarkable. Plumbing, woodworking, programming, instrument repair, cooking techniques. The quality of free instructional content available today is extraordinary

[Rachel]

Genuinely better: finding niche communities of people who share very specific interests. If you are into a particular obscure hobby, rare record format, unusual medical condition or esoteric area of study you can find your people in a way that was simply not possible before the internet

[Glenn]

Genuinely worse: the experience of buying things. Physical retail that offered knowledgeable staff, tactile product experience and immediate availability has been largely replaced by a delivery infrastructure that is impressive in logistics and awful in every other dimension of the shopping experience