> For example email didn't become prolific until large centralized players became the dominant force.

What? Email was massively popular before gmail even got into the game. It was popular when Microsoft bought hotmail. It was so popular I remember a dial-up ISP (Juno) offering a free email-only dial-up account.

Email was one of the only easy to convey selling points for early Internet.

Online shopping was a shitty Wild West and most web pages consisted of some basic info and a visitor counter. But being able to send a “love letter” across the country in seconds was amazing!