That may be true but it depends how you define success.

If you define it as effectively destroying non-techy interaction with the wider web & customization then yes it has been a resounding success.

You could also define success as enabling many, many people such as my parents who aren't proficient in English or computers and would never be able utilize the internet for communication if it weren't for the standardization offered by Facebook, WhatsApp, Facetime, iOS, etc.

Just like 99% of people want cars with an automatic transmission and take it to the mechanic for any issues, 99% of people just want a tool that gets out of their way and lets them achieve the goal. Whether it's driving to their destination or seeing photos or video calling their friends/family.

If you asked my parents, their goal never was to create anything on the internet, or browse niche websites and learn their layouts. They're not going to learn it in their advanced years, and perhaps they would rather spend their time on other interests they have such as gardening, cooking, etc.

Yeah and that’s totally fair.

But success isn’t necessarily a good thing. I’d say Facebook has had an extraordinarily negative influence on the world regardless of its success.

Also 99% absolutely do not want an automatic vehicle, I’m assuming you live in the US but it’s not at all like that anywhere else.

I meant 99% to mean a clear majority, not as a real statistic. But yes, in the US it actually is 99%.

https://www.edmunds.com/fuel-economy/five-myths-about-stick-...

Well, fair enough then!

+1 I for one don't long for the days of crappy hard-to-parse pages created by MySpacers and wanna-be web devs on FrontPage. Social media platforms exist because they organize and format information for efficient consumption and discovery. That's the reason they've overtaken Geocities or MySpace.