[gtsop]

What was the initial incentive for people to publish on the internet before ad revenue was a thing?

[righthand]

Information sharing with other humans, not corporations.

[quectophoton]

Likely with some expectation of receiving attribution for your effort, even if only sometimes.

[djeastm]

The incentive was often creating a community around a shared interest. Good luck doing that with AI summaries stopping people from visiting the sites.