I would imagine it was harder to get information on topics as you would’ve had to buy/borrow encyclopedias to do.

Were there proprietary predecessor websites?

Tell me about the dark ages!

  • AbouBenAdhem@lemmy.world
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    14 days ago

    All information was passed down orally by people specially-trained to serve as “oral repositories”—in various cultures they were called senechals, bards, makars, aoidos, and various other terms. Important information was often set in verse to aid memorization.

    There was a transitional period when writing and printing were used, and an even briefer period when encyclopedias on CD-ROM were used as well.

    • protist@mander.xyz
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      13 days ago

      TIL the entirety of recorded human history was just a transition period between the oral tradition and Wikipedia lmao

      • superkret@feddit.org
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        13 days ago

        When you plot the development of modern humans on a timeline, oral tradition makes up 95% of it.

        • protist@mander.xyz
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          13 days ago

          “What was life like before Wikipedia?”

          “Well, you see, in the year 7000 BC…”