I think Slashdot died when Cmdrtaco sold out, not for any real nefarious reason, but simply that it was no longer "a list of things Cmdrtaco was interested in" but had spread so wide that it was more of a mish-mash. Early on it was nice, because if you liked the things Cmdrtaco was interested in, you'd like almost every post (even if you got mad at it). Once it was wide, it was harder to follow.
Digg had a similar issue, but was more "active" for awhile. Reddit really "solved" the problem by having subreddits so you could curate what you were interested in.
Also, the people who were using /. grew up, and there wasn't really replacement people.
> Also, the people who were using /. grew up, and there wasn't really replacement people.
This is a big thing. The internet users of the late 90s just don't exist any more. The internet isn't for nerds any more, it's as ubiquitous an infrastructure as electricity or roads, everyone uses it.
The generation before slashdot from the 80s upto Eternal September were another group
You can't recreate slashdot today, because the people don't exist.
> The internet users of the late 90s just don't exist any more.
We still exist, we're just a very small slice of a much larger pie. Also, we are likely a less profitable target for advertisers so aren't an important demographic for ad-driven companies.
I take it more to mean "people who have to be technically inclined to a degree to get online in the 90s" don't really exist as a category that is self-selecting.
The other thing you mention is huge, too, of course. All the "famous" things from the 90s were basically labours of love by individual hackers who then looked for ways to fund it. Now everything is all about ad-revenue dollars.
If you're in the 15-25 nerdy computer demographic that waxes lyrical about the latest window mangaer, you are likely to be going into an insanely high paid job for a major corporation. The computer thing you are nerdy about is normal, you're more like a car or football nerd now - being in depth in a common subject
GenX-ers and Millenials who have been in tech a long time are likely doing OK financially, but are also likely at the age where they have kids which eat up a huge fraction of their disposable income.
Historically, advertisers have really loved late teens and early 20-somethings. They're starting to earn money, but don't have a lot of obligations or expenses yet, so they have a lot of discretionary income.
I also disagree that being into computers is a "common subject" these days. Everyone uses computers (some of which have keyboards), but most people aren't "into" them any more than the average commuter is into cars.
Digg had a similar issue, but was more "active" for awhile. Reddit really "solved" the problem by having subreddits so you could curate what you were interested in.
Also, the people who were using /. grew up, and there wasn't really replacement people.