Honest question, I’m just trying to understand here. How long have you used the internet? That could definitely color a lot of different perceptions.
I suppose the best way to put it is that I’ve had the privilege of access to the Internet. In one form or another for a little over 32 years I think now. While access has improved, and nearly everyone carries a terminal in their pocket. My usage of the Internet is reverting back to more what it was 25 years ago. Just with much better access. Largely because it was better. The underlying internet hasn’t changed that profoundly. Just control of or access to it.
There were media streaming services before the oligarchs. They just had access to bigger pipes. And people ceded control to them for access to those bigger pipes. But our connections have improved while media size has decreased in many ways. And so has our need of them. The only new/unique thing they brought us. Was a centralized personal privacy nightmare.
If you really want to stretch things, I suppose you could say that the popularity of their services has helped drive adoption and commoditization of access. But that is as far as someone like myself would be willing to give them.
That could definitely give you a different perspective. You might not really remember before twitter and Facebook. Heck before MySpace for that matter. Or when companies didn’t advertise their website but rather their AOL keyword.
Activity Pub is a lot like Usenet on steroids. It really is a return to the distributed, democratized Internet. Before all those other things. The only big stumbling block the increasing tighter grip on access and CCP style censorship that many nations are gate-keeping with.
It’s all good though, and with the view you’ve had of it so far I can absolutely understand and agree on how you think things are getting better. Because it is.