Before YouTube became a corporate machine full of sponsorships, algorithms, and influencer culture, it was chaotic, weird, and deeply personal. It was a time when you’d stumble across a random vlogger in their bedroom, an over-the-top skit, or a grainy anime music video set to Linkin Park—and it all felt real.
Back then, there were no forced ads, no algorithm pushing content, and no pressure to monetize everything. People made videos because they wanted to, not because they were chasing views. Classics like Charlie Bit Me, Potter Puppet Pals, and Shoes by Kelly weren’t manufactured viral hits—they just happened. And the comment sections? Absolute wild west energy.
Once Google bought YouTube in 2006, things started shifting toward polished, advertiser-friendly content, which eventually resulted in a lot of censorship and stifling of creativity. While there’s still great stuff on YouTube today, that old, uncurated magic is missing. The Small Web is all about bringing that back to the internet—content made for passion, not profit.
👉 Do you miss old-school YouTube? Did you have your own vlog channel? What’s one early YouTube video that lives in your head rent free? Let us know!
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