I honestly wonder how much the typical user actually shares the concerns brought up here and in other hostile web arguments. Most people I know care much less than the Hacker News community about privacy, bloated web sites, web advertisements, etc. and would gladly trade these for free software such as Facebook, Gmail. I'm not saying I agree with them, but I recognize that reality.
If that is the case, then I feel less comfortable with the idea that this is simply evil corporations commoditizing users.
Rather, I think the more nuanced explanation takes into account the fact that the web's users today (now at 5 billion people) and the people shaping its content (eg marketers, designers, business people, etc.) simply have a very different set of values than those active at the web’s infancy.
In other words, perhaps it has become democratized...it's just that that means it looks very different than you would prefer it.
If that is the case, then I feel less comfortable with the idea that this is simply evil corporations commoditizing users.
Rather, I think the more nuanced explanation takes into account the fact that the web's users today (now at 5 billion people) and the people shaping its content (eg marketers, designers, business people, etc.) simply have a very different set of values than those active at the web’s infancy.
In other words, perhaps it has become democratized...it's just that that means it looks very different than you would prefer it.