The escalating toxicity prevalent across social media platforms has become a prominent concern, with some observers pointing to the influence of billionaires as a primary cause. Vitalik Buterin, co-founder of Ethereum, recently offered his perspective, drawing a stark comparison between the current state of the internet and its earlier iteration, Web 1.0. Web 1.0, generally recognized as the foundational stage of the World Wide Web, is often remembered with nostalgia as a more unadulterated source of public good.

Despite its technological limitations, characterized by static websites and minimal user interaction, many recall the Web 1.0 era fondly for its inherent grassroots ethos. During this period, Silicon Valley had not yet exerted its dominant control, and the online landscape was largely unshaped by today's tech giants like Facebook, Amazon, and Google. Furthermore, in those early days, content consumption was a more active pursuit, with users deliberately seeking out specific internet forums or websites that aligned with their interests, in contrast to the current model where content is explicitly pushed to consumers.

A critical distinction lies in the economic models of the two eras. Web 1.0 platforms faced significantly less pressure to prioritize profitability. This contrasts sharply with Web 2.0 platforms, which are fundamentally driven by strong capital optimization. From an anti-capitalist standpoint, therefore, the contemporary toxicity of social media can be largely attributed to this flawed incentive structure, where profit motives often overshadow user well-being and content quality.

Buterin also highlights another significant issue with the modern internet: its tendency to appeal to a broad demographic, the 'average Joe', through shallow and often reactive content. This content frequently consists of memes and brief soundbites. In contrast, Web 1.0 content was predominantly created and consumed by what Buterin describes as