Eternal September

Also known as: September that never ended

Universities gave new students accounts each September, producing an annual wave of arrivals who had not yet learned local conventions; regulars endured it until the newcomers settled. In September 1993 AOL connected its subscribers to Usenet and the influx never stopped. The phrase marks the point where the old socialization process broke down, and veterans still date the decline of text Usenet culture from it.

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