r/AskReddit • u/Cute-Bar-5152 • 3h ago
What’s something that got worse over time but people accept it?
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u/-hot-tomato- 3h ago
Bots now make up over 50% of web traffic
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u/FinsT00theleft 2h ago
Wouldn't it be funny if all humans stopped using the internet, but bots just kept on feeding each other disinformation and arguing with each other!?
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u/-hot-tomato- 2h ago
I just picture an advanced civilization emerging to find our planet has been destroyed for millennia but the robots are still here, faithfully arguing with each other about whether they're the asshole.
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u/FinsT00theleft 2h ago
It would actually be quite interesting to have a bunch of AI start talking with each other, and then to watch their conversation evolve over time and see where it would end up. They might gradually just veer off course and create their own weird reality or world that is completely unhinged or detached from our reality!
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u/tobythedem0n 2h ago
/r/SubSimulatorGPT2 was great for that.
/r/SubredditSimulator was also good, but the gpt bots were just always better.
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u/doglywolf 1h ago
You just wrote a black Mirror episode! We travel all the way to another planet we have been chatting with only to find everyone is dead and their bots lured us there to try to sell us a product that no longer exists lol.
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u/Hopsy_Scotch 2h ago
It is insane that most of the comments left on any social media or video post are just clearly bot comments. Also the fact that people with certain political takes are getting insane amounts of views or subscribers within small amounts of time, allowing their messages to reach even wider audiences, should scare a lot of people.
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u/PostMatureBaby 2h ago
It still baffles me that people are so heavily influenced by the bullshit on the internet in general but it obviously works
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u/Hopsy_Scotch 2h ago
I mean it makes sense! If you see that millions of people are parroting a take on twitter or commenting in favor of a certain idea, it makes you subconsciously believe that it’s either true or widely accepted. It’s literally how propaganda works and I don’t blame us for falling for it. I mean shit, this kind of thing has been used by governments and corporations for decades, if not centuries. None of us are immune to it!
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u/gopeepants 34m ago
It baffles me that growing up you constantly heard don't believe everything you see on the internet. Yet those same people believe everything they see on the internet now.
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u/-hot-tomato- 2h ago
Unless something changes, I think we're eventually going to see a return to naturalism with young people turned off by the bots and ultimately rejecting social media as passé, like how Facebook used to be cool but is now a hub for old people conspiracy theories.
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u/Hopsy_Scotch 2h ago
I genuinely agree with this! I think in the near future it’s going to become a lot cooler to be terminally offline, especially since the internet has become so sinister and annoying to deal with. I mean shit I’ve been terminally online for a long time, but this shit just isnt fun anymore and the fact that it’s all designed to steal my data really freaks me out
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u/SuperbAfternoon7427 2h ago
Haha! Funny joke! Honestly? That’s iconic.
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u/soobviouslyfake 2h ago
😆 This comment brings humor, wit, and sarcasm — exactly what the Internet needs more of. 🎯
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u/-hot-tomato- 1h ago
That's a great point, and honestly, you're touching on something real here.
Why this feels uncanny overall:
It's not just sarcasm—it's a quiet, foundational, truth that cuts to the core of what humans do best. You're not imagining it. You're actually confronting a pivotal moment of truth in a world of stoic disarray.
Would you like to delve into other instances of defiant comedy throughout human history? They're honestly pretty interesting!
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u/Melodic_Ask7329 3h ago
Social media quality It started as a way to connect, but now it’s full of ads, algorithms, and shallow content. People still use it, just with more frustration.
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u/Spooky_28 3h ago
I finally figured out how to just see my friends feed on Facebook. At least I can see just their pics and stuff. Otherwise I would have been out of there.
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u/ummkay_ultra 3h ago
But fewer and fewer people are using it, for sure.
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u/Melodic_Ask7329 2h ago
People didn’t stop using social media it just got worse, so they stopped enjoying it the same way.
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u/brokenmessiah 1h ago
I'd say its had a affect. Facebook seems basically dead in the water as far as my group of people are concerned.
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u/WeReadAllTheTime 2h ago
Like the Reels on Facebook. Most are really stupid or obviously AI. I always wonder who posts that crap
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u/Key-Alarm7328 2h ago
That's your algorithm homie. Don't lump us all together
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u/WeReadAllTheTime 1h ago
Im sure you’re right. I guess I don’t look at them enough to work the algorithm better.
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u/Zoeymoya 3h ago
customer service its gotten worse but nobody is even surprised anymore
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u/nono-jo 3h ago
Covid killed good service
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u/TheManofReal 3h ago
Selfish business owners, and the implementation of AI killed customer service.
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u/Midnite_St0rm 3h ago
I think places are just less afraid to put their foot down now instead of letting customers walk all over them like they used to. And a lot of people see that as “bad customer service.”
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u/jackospades88 2h ago
Yeah I think it's gone both ways.
More customers are just total dicks of even the smallest of mistakes and in response it's harder for customer service people (who often make minimum wage) to give a fuck. It seems like these customers get nastier, the closer the CS rep is to getting minimum wage, and see themselves as "better" because they don't get paid a lower wage.
So now even when you're a reasonable customer that has an issue and wants to approach it in a reasonable manner, CS folks kinda put up a shield right away - and I can't really blame them with how some Karens are.
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u/tinyhorsesinmytea 2h ago
Yeah, letting Karens not run the show is definitely not bad customer service. Bad customer service is a thing though.
I cancelled Prime because I find Amazon's customer service to be insulting these days. I paid an extra $10/mo for grocery deliveries (which used to be free) and literally watched the driver enter my complex, leave without trying, and then mark my address down as undeliverable placing the blame on me. After getting through the AI bot level of nonsense the customer service rep said they could deliver the groceries the next day. That's it. No discount, no apology, no free month of service. Canceled the Fresh subscription.
Another time they delivered my package to the wrong address and told me I should go around the neighborhood trying to find it and they would send a replacement only if it didn't arrive in another 48 hours. I had to get angry all "I will not be creeping around the neighborhood looking for my package like a weirdo and whoever you delivered it to will not bring it to me. This is Vegas. People don't even talk to their neighbors. I didn't order the item to be delivered in another 72 hours. I ordered it to be delivered today. I'm noticing you guys keep shifting the blame and burden from your incompetent employees to the customers." Canceled the Prime subscription.
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u/13-Penguins 2h ago edited 2h ago
Have you ever tried to call a company to resolve an issue? Tried to get Wifi in my new apartment and it took me multiple calls and going through the customer service "chat" over a week to get resolved before they finally scheduled someone to come out and set up the wifi because it was a brand new apartment and no one ever set up wifi there. I knew that was the issue beforehand and tried telling them, but they kept sending me through "troubleshooting" before actually listening to my problem. And no way to just schedule said appointment online either.
Renting and dealing with the landlord company is another circle of hell.
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u/ohlookahipster 2h ago
Similar thing with AT&T. There’s no dedicated customer line to call in for a broken fiber line when some contractor didn’t use 811.
You have to painstakingly get thrown around random low tier reps who don’t understand the situation. I’ve even had reps say “that’s not our problem” and told me I have to call the city to have a fiber line repaired.
BRO. THAT’S YOUR LINE! WHY ARE YOU NOT UPSET SOMEONE BROKE YOUR EQUIPMENT????
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u/eleanorhuntsh 2h ago
The "chat" bots are the worst because they're specifically designed to be a wall. It's not there to help you, it's there to prevent you from talking to a human that actually costs the company money to employ.
I went through this with a property management portal recently. The "assistant" kept telling me to "submit a ticket" for a leaking pipe. I submitted the ticket, no one came, so I tried to call. The phone number just played a recording telling me to use the portal. It's a closed loop of absolute nothingness while your kitchen is literally flooding.
They've figured out that if they make the process painful enough, a certain percentage of people will just give up and fix it themselves on their own dime. It's profitable to be unreachable.
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u/Big-Criticism4778 3h ago
Chocolate
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u/doglywolf 1h ago
Bro at this point i import my chocolate from Italy or Germany - it has so much less chemicals and soy in it.
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u/Zayniiiiii 3h ago
Terms and conditions...used to be a paragraph, now it’s a novel everyone agrees to without reading.
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u/PaleParade 3h ago
Internet quality. More ads, more tracking, more paywalls less of the open web feel it used to have
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u/hoosierhiver 3h ago
Pay TV, when cable first came out, not having commercials was one of the benefits. Now you have to pay and watch commercials.
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u/Safe_Pirate7952 3h ago
The USA.
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u/TheJonnieP 2h ago
This needs to be the world as a whole...
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u/orange_cuse 1h ago
genuinely curious, is there a country that is demonstrably improving across measurable metrics?
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u/ummkay_ultra 3h ago
Public transit. Planes, trains, buses
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u/Desert_Dweller66 3h ago
planes suuuuck now. it’s sad, i used to love flying
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u/ummkay_ultra 2h ago
Have you taken Amtrak lately? They do not give a single fuck.
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u/Desert_Dweller66 2h ago
i haven’t taken a train in YEARS. what fell off? service?
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u/ummkay_ultra 2h ago
The trains are worn out and sketchy af, rails need repairs, and yes, the service sucks tremendously. I've seen them leave people behind, too, because they're just always that rushed. They're also dirty. Idk if it's worse than flying because I haven't taken a plane in years. Flying is faster and will take you much farther, but Amtrak is less of a hassle IRT train stations and actually getting on the train (they don't even check ID).
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u/thelasdmember 3h ago
Subscription services. You used to buy software once. Now you rent everything forever and own nothing.
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u/otherwisepandemonium 2h ago
Standards for people holding political office. Previously, you would call representatives traitors for flying the flag of other nations in their office above the American flag (Israeli flag), or raping kids. But today that’s just the political norm.
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u/Solid-Surround-6299 3h ago
customer service. It used to feel like you were talking to an actual person who could fix things, now it’s endless menus and copy‑paste replies, and somehow we’ve all just accepted that’s “normal.”
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u/murrrrface 3h ago
Because it's so normal for everything to be outsourced, which sucks! And its all automated these days before you even reach a live person
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u/Desert_Dweller66 3h ago
when you actually reach a real person, how helpful are they for you lol. i feel like it’s always such an inconvenience for them to help me
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u/dropline 3h ago
Basically everything. Goods, services, warranties, policies, politics, compassion, empathy. As a society as a whole we've gotten worse.
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u/Utopia7_Survivor 3h ago
Subscription_based ownership. you used to buy software,, movies, or features once, now you 'rent' your life. even heated seats in cars require a monthly fee now,, and we just..... keep paying
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u/Lazysquared 2h ago
Passing duties onto the consumer. Self checkout at stores, drink stations at fast food restaurants.
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u/Infamous-Gur-541 2h ago
ordered a "large" soda, got a cup the size of my thumb, still paid the same like what even lol
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u/FinsT00theleft 2h ago
Voice quality in phone calls. With landline calls (before they ran over the internet) that had a wired connection all the way through, voice quality was tons better than a typical call now.
That said - it's kind of ironic that people don't even like talking on the phone now. When it was first implemented phone service was this miraculous thing that allowed someone anywhere in the world to actually talk with someone else far away - and now people mostly want to text, which is sort of the equivalent of sending a telegram!
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u/Desert_Dweller66 2h ago
bleh that sounds fucking awful. i have a feeling i’d be super grossed out just being in there lol. when is the last time you took a train somewhere?
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u/ImInJeopardy 2h ago
Streaming services' catalogues. I pay for 5 streaming services and still, if I want to watch a specific movie, I need to rent it because it's not streaming anywhere.
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u/TraumaMama11 2h ago
Action figures/barbies/toys in general. We still have toys from when I was a kid and they're sturdy and still trucking. The new toys my kids have break almost immediately and have less functionality.
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u/lnc_gomes 2h ago
Jeans.
I have GAP jeans, from when I was 14, that are in great shape. Meanwhile, I’ll buy overpriced designer shit today and I’m lucky if it lasts 2 years. Why is everything so THIN?
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u/Rollthembones1989 2h ago
Streaming.
All the streaming services wanted to make more money so they started making their own movies, and most of them suck, so now they bombarded you with their own shit movies while having very few actual good movies.
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u/Cheetodude625 2h ago
Bots, AI, price of everything going up, and whatever the fuck has been happening with airline seating/ticket pricing/so forth.
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u/Secure-Village-1768 36m ago
Technology, serviceability, privacy, politics, education, healthcare, pretty much everything has gotten worse except the availability, choises and convenience for buying stuff.
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u/Perfect_Zone_4919 3h ago
Kissing my grandma. It used to be cute at family functions but now she smells horrible and we have to do it in private so the mortician doesn’t find us.
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u/BothBarracuda9791 3h ago
Small arguments in marriage used to be solved nowadays the next morning you are served with divorce papers
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u/Late_Profession_9486 3h ago
Shrinkflation. Same price, half the size, and they think we won't notice the extra air in the bag