Why the Internet Built for Friends Felt More Meaningful Than AI

Description

At the beginning of the social internet there was a very simple promise. Technology would help people stay connected to those who were already part of their lives. There was no obsession with “audiences”, no creator economy, no algorithms deciding what you should watch next. The center of everything was human relationships. That is why platforms like Facebook, Orkut and even early YouTube felt meaningful to millions of people. They worked as extensions of real social life. Today the situation