January 13, 2026
Touch grass, taste chocolate
Why Real Life is better than IRC (2000)
Hugs beat usernames: Nostalgia and love say offline wins
TLDR: A throwback post says real hugs and real chocolate beat online chat, and commenters turn it into a nostalgia fest. The thread splits between romantic IRL wins and a serious debate over whether the internet improved life, with shock that Everything2 still survives fueling the retro mood.
The 2000-era ode to “real life > online chat” has the comment section in full feelings mode. The post gushes that real chocolate tastes better than screen time and that a real hug beats a typed hug, and the crowd agrees—hard. One reader drops the mic with a rom-com twist: they met their partner on old-school IRC (Internet Relay Chat), but only sealed the deal in person. Another is stunned that Everything2 still exists, turning the thread into a time capsule party.
The drama? A generational reckoning. One commenter asks, did the internet make the world better, or just louder? Another reminisces about 1991 IRC as a global village where a Kiwi could hop on and end up flying overseas to meet friends IRL—cue “touch grass” memes and bus-confessional jokes from the original post. Meanwhile, the anti-algorithm mood surges: people praise pre-like-button communities and dream of a social web without doomscrolling. Not everyone’s down on digital, but the hottest take is that offline intimacy—staying “just a little longer,” being wanted—beats any app notification. The vibe: designers of today’s feeds could learn from yesterday’s hugs, and yes, someone’s reinstalling their dial-up nostalgia right now.
Key Points
- •The article contrasts real-life interactions with IRC-based communication.
- •RL offers tangible recognition, such as people noticing when someone dresses up.
- •Physical sensory experiences (e.g., tasting chocolate) are highlighted as advantages of RL.
- •Real-world contact is described as providing serious, immediate social support (e.g., a 4 a.m. phone call).
- •Physical touch (a real hug) is presented as superior to virtual gestures.