Editing Eternal September (section)

{{Short description|Internet jargon}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2024}}

'''Eternal September''' or the '''September that never ended''' was a cultural phenomenon during a period beginning around late 1993 and early 1994, when [[Internet service provider]]s began offering [[Usenet]] access to many new users.<ref name="jargon" /><ref name="Grossman1" /> Prior to this, the only sudden changes in the volume of new users of Usenet occurred each September, when cohorts of university students would gain access to it for the first time, in sync with the [[Academic term|academic calendar]].

The flood of new and generally inexperienced Internet users directed to Usenet by commercial ISPs in 1993 and subsequent years swamped the existing culture of those [[internet forum|forum]]s and their ability to self-moderate and enforce existing norms. [[AOL]] began their Usenet gateway service in March 1994, leading to a constant stream of new users.<ref name="Grossman3"/> Hence, from the early Usenet community point of view, the influx of new users that began in September 1993 appeared to be endless.