Theres some points made in the video i agree with and take strong issue with.

I absolutely agree with him that there is a growing trend towards corporatization of the internet. Dating sites have been going under after the passage of SESTA with blessings from Facebook while conveniently just getting into the online dating scene. These companies are responding to political uncertainties over their existance by trying to double down and own everything. Thats why I also agree with his suggestion of supporting small sites. Even if its just alternatives to facebook, I do believe in keeping the internet decentralized. I do think too many people are treating the internet as entirely centered around Facebook. I also try to encourage people to give IRC a shot as there are many great channels i still frequent.

For his complaint about websites feeling corporate, I would also like to make a counter argument: that the new internet is more accessible to a larger audience and that the growth isnt from taking it away from other sites, rather from getting new people to use the internet more. In the time of the 90s, 2000s, and early 2010s, the internet was mostly just for computer nerds. Improvements in UX and UI are necessary for creating and retaining user engagement and activity. Now i do think the new reddit layout is garbage but other like facebook are designed around the average user. UI improvements is an eternal war but one that should be made. I unfortunately don't have the article on hand but i remember reading about how a lot of myspace home pages back in the day flat out sucked or were garbage, whether due to inexperience, bad experimentation, or overuse of audio. A lot of users do just want a standardized homepage because for them they want the benefits of tech without "the nerd shit". I would also argue some of the sites back in the day just flat out sucked and only existed because it was a first. Skype was used by gamers because it was the first VoIP client around during the rise of online gaming, but theres a reason Discord won the title immediately when it became available. I feel like he is a little too nostalgic about older sites and technologies while ignoring their flaws and corporate allegiance.

I do take issue with how he dismissed concerns about white supremacists utilizing youtube to spread their message. I do acknowledge that youtube sucks at enforcing their community guidelines due to how vast the platform is. Thats why I would urge social media companies to follow these principles: https://santaclaraprinciples.org/

But online personalities have utilized it for actual racism and xenaphobia. They may have a legal 1st ammendment right to say it but that doesn't mean they have to be given a platform. Racists and bigots (for argument sake focus on non debatable fuckheads) have plenty of platforms to spout their shit or host their own web content and their presence leaves a bad experience for everyone and gives a sense of legitimacy. Him trying to dismiss that as ramblings from a dying media feel disingenuous.

Finally, I'm concerned that he never goes into the legal rammifications tech companies are currently going through that are a driving or influential force in many of these decisions. The DMCA, CFAA, net neutrality repeal, and SESTA are causing many problems. The nature of DMCA is forcing YouTube to take the easy way and automate content takedown to avoid the wrath of Hollywood, net neutrality repeal is giving telecoms a huge negotiating table with tech companies about their future plans, and SESTA is providing enough legal risk that business executives are forcing stupid changes to appease politicians on the hill. These are real problems that no one seems to be interested in addressing or solving and rather just blame big tech and unfortunately these complicating web of relations between big players is starting to form the clusterfuck we're currently experiencing.

That being said I do get some of his concerns and will always point to education and exposure to alternatives as the best thing we can do.