One thing that stands out starkly from the early Internet is the personal touch that websites had in their design. You can see that the design was not a replic

One thing that stands out starkly from the early Internet is the personal touch that websites had in their design. You can see that the design was not a replication of some standard web design technique but rather an expression of the person's or the company's aura [1]. Even information-dense websites like [2] were laid out in such a way as to aid discoverability and choice on the part of the user. Now we have transitioned to an algorithm-based information delivery mechanism that optimizes engaging the user to spend more time on a site, not serving information. Today's web is strictly utilitarian: structured and standardized, it does what it needs to, and nothing more. Is that a bad thing? No, not at all; the current web generates employment and money and is an integral part of our economy. [1] https://www.webdesignmuseum.org/gallery/mcdonald-s-1996 https://www.webdesignmuseum.org/gallery/mcdonald-s-1996 [2] https://www.webdesignmuseum.org/timeline/yahoo-2010 https://www.webdesignmuseum.org/timeline/yahoo-2010