Also in my late 30s, and I've accepted that the web from the past we grew up in is gone. One can find snippets of it here and there, stumbling upon a niche for

Also in my late 30s, and I've accepted that the web from the past we grew up in is gone. One can find snippets of it here and there, stumbling upon a niche forum for a hobby is still exciting, participating in those and recognising the users over time, that sense of community still lurks around for some stuff. Overall it's just gone, it's not what the web is anymore. Most of it has been monetised, captured in a few big platforms, closed off in walled gardens, made to be ephemeral. I don't mean that there isn't remnants of the old web at all, you can find some treasures around but there's no more discoverability for it, it's kinda like finding the underground scene of your city. It's more than figuring out who is real and who is a bot, there's no sense of permanence of a community around, you don't recognise the names/nicknames to form any bond/rapport...