I’ve been around since the early 1980s on BBSs. To me, 1996 to 2005 was the peak of the Internet experience. Big business was still oblivious about it, and little forums were able to truly thrive on their own without being on a billion dollar platform.

Web 2.0 was when it all went to shit. I remember the look when it was happening… every website went to white webpages, tons of white space, big-ass sans serif fonts, rounded buttons, and very little actual content, just minimalist screens everywhere. Every website was doing it. I knew at the time that this was symbolic of the vacuousness of the coming Internet.