A long time ago, I played an MMORPG that was scheduled to shut down the beta world. That feeling, in the last moments, of everything around you seeming just as before, but knowing that this could be the last time ever you’re seeing that world. That community.
I’m getting the same feeling looking at reddit right now.
Sure, the blackout might fizzle. The admins might be forced to recant, most subreddits might return. Even if they don’t, reddit could survive in some form.
… or a digg apocalypse is repeated, and we’re all presently witnessing the last moments before the bombs fall and nothing will ever be as it used to be.
A strange feeling, standing on the precipice of Internet history.
I’ve been in online communities for a very long time. Reddit has been one of them for a very long time (over a decade) and my only home for years now. You’ve described the feeling well. And it’s so nice to be able to talk to people about it because this is A Very Big Deal to me, but nobody I know in my “real” life, even the people who visit Reddit, are interested in what’s going on.
And I’m over here like my best friend is on life support… (On life support and we all know the prognosis is grim.)
Anyway, take care.