Old internet was something different socially for subcultures, especially DIY subcultures and communities.

You just don't connect with people the same way on giant message boards or platforms like Reddit where you're one user out of a billion.

It was just... Smaller and personal, I guess?

It feels like everything today is optimized for monetization, ads, tracking, etc.

I guess I could summarize it as saying the internet went mainstream and changed its audience and charm.