@MikeFairbanks@mastodon.world @lauren Yes. And thankfully they mostly became gatekeepers only for their own services. It is no less possible now -- and in many important respects, far more possible -- to interact freely on the internet than it was in 1996. The fact that most people are attracted to consumer services and spend all their time there being subjected to distinctly commercial conduct doesn't mean you must. The fediverse is just one example of how it never stopped being possible.