> A key difference is most of the new techs like Internet, email, Paypal, and so on improved on what people already had in a way that delivered obvious value.

I'd argue that for most people the value was only obvious afterwards.

To put email in perspective, early adopters had to choose between what they already knew and all the hurdles involved in connecting to the internet and using the new technology. There was also a good chance the people they were trying to communicate with didn't even have email. Outside of a few niche areas, email provided no obvious value to the vast majority of people for decades.