[stevenjgarner]

Please clarify. I thought each Internet subscriber pays for the Internet with their monthly recurring charge to their ISP. The "web" is the network of world wide web (www) sites using http/https protocol on the Internet, many of whom use no advertising (news.ycombinator.com that we are all on for one). Yes there are extensive advertiser-funded services on the www, but many use paid models for premium services to remove advertising (e.g. YouTube Premium). I agree with your idea that "web3 as a way to democratize ... services/apps". There are no advertisers on my Bitcoin full node, for which I pay the Internet access fee every month.

[thegeomaster]

Each subscriber pays for access to the Internet with their ISP fee. However, operators of www sites incur costs that they need to recoup, and that also needs to come from somewhere.

The main problem today seems to be that the average Internet user (look beyond the HN/techie bubble) prefers free services with ads to paying a fee. They know about the evils of Internet advertising in broad strokes, and they consider it a good deal.

Until this changes, all attempts to "replace" the Internet are dead on arrival. In the olden days of www, the number of users was so small that you could host your own site out of hobby and incur negligible costs. If you "replaced" the Internet, all the monthly active crowd from all the social media would flock to the "replacement" with similar demands (sharing photos, videos, livestreaming, etc.) and then again it's time to pay the piper.

[stevenjgarner]

"The main problem today seems to be that the average Internet user (look beyond the HN/techie bubble) prefers free services with ads to paying a fee"

Is that true? Do more average Internet users prefer free services where their data is being sold or where there is advertising? Any citations on this? On average, what percentage of users on leading sites pay a fee to remove advertising?