I too am here to stay and agree about the feeling that I've gone back in time to a happier era on the internet.
I hadn't realized how creepy and icky the EXTREME commercialization of the internet has made me feel. The engagement is so poor quality. The people are so jaded and nasty. The content is so simplistic and superficial. It's just an endless circle-jerk of "me too-ism."
I'm a big believer that if you want change you have to be willing to make sacrifices. Until people start leaving the big commercial sites in protest, no alternatives can arise. And if that's what I expect others to do then I have to start by doing it myself.