> Back when the internet was a nice place, I mean years 1999-2010

By 1999, Internet Explorer on Windows had over 95% of the web browser market. Modems were 56K. This is not comparable to the web in 2010, much less the web today.

You're experiencing nostalgia - it isn't factual, though.

> Private websites are nearly extinct

I wonder what these password managers are all about, then?

> Corporations like Meta are scared of people taking control over their own data, so they put lots of effort into making the content creation process as brainless as possible.

How exactly does Meta have any role in the ease or difficulty of content creation? Last I checked Meta makes zero of the top content creation tools and is mostly an ad company.