I entirely agree with the sentiment of what most all of you have said. The internet as a widely consumed technology is only about 20 years old. With the constant onslaught of development since that time, it is no wonder that most of the web is filled up by people exploiting the next shiny object. With the ubiquity of this type of media, it seems almost inevitable that there will be a return to a focus on content and simplicity as a method of differentiating oneself from the competition. Hell, even records have made a comeback to some degree.

My biggest fear is the seeming open embrace of selling ones privacy for convenience. Despite the GDPR and the privacy problems with Facebook and Google, it appears as if most people have become comfortable with this exchange. The problem is that people are so used to this monetization strategy that it will be difficult for new services to change consumer habits. As much as I love services like Mastodon that embody the ethics I'd love to see, I doubt they will ever have a fraction of the success of a Facebook or Twitter. Hopefully they can prove me wrong.