Post #1479503
2026-01-04 18:06 UTC
@penryu@hachyderm.io @netopwibby@social.coop I don't think the two are contradictory.
The Old Web was monetized. The companies involved in the chain weren't exactly charities. However, the platform being harder to monetize meant that extrinsic motivations weren't as overpowering compared to intrinsic motivations as they are now.
In my eyes, both of those observations are distinct sides of what is ultimately the same coin.
Replies (1)
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@asie@mk.asie.pl 2026-01-04 18:10
@penryu@hachyderm.io @netopwibby@social.coop Or, to put it in a clearer way: when people are nostalgic over the Old Web, they are not being nostalgic over Microsoft's monopolist practices with Internet Explorer, or jumping from free web host to free web host, or dealing with the horrendous pricing many countries had to deal with to access the Internet. They're nostalgic for the community spirit that existed despite all of that, and that has become increasingly harder to maintain as the corporate machine grew in power, scope, and influence.