In my mind the web has always had ads although maybe for a brief period this wasn't true. The real turnaround that happened around this time and I guess before

In my mind the web has always had ads although maybe for a brief period this wasn't true. The real turnaround that happened around this time and I guess before is that the platforms started realising how valuable user data was and the relative value of "smart" data-driven advertising as compared to "dumb" content- based ads. Now when I see that a platform has amassed x million users I'm very cynical about their motives for doing so.