Why do old internet websites feel more fun?

Old internet websites feel more fun because they felt like playgrounds, not products.

• Less commercialization: People made sites for hobbies, bands, jokes, and personal expression, not clicks, ads, or conversion rates.
• More weird design: Every page could look different — glitter text, animated GIFs, bad color combos, custom cursors, MIDI music. There were fewer rules.
• More discovery: You had to wander through links, webrings, and directories, so finding a cool site felt like finding treasure instead of being handed content by an algorithm.
• Less self-consciousness: People used pseudonyms more often, so it felt easier to experiment, be strange, and post without worrying about a polished public brand.

In short: the old web felt fun because it was messier, more personal, and more exploratory.