How did we get here?
Most of what you see online is chosen by systems designed to keep you watching. It is a business model, and it shapes what gets made, what disappears, and what you never see at all.
Is there another way?
In independent communities from journalism to open source, people are building direct relationships between makers and the people who value what they make. It's not a single platform, it's a pattern. And it is growing.
What can I do?
Pick one thing you value online. A podcast, a newsletter, an open source tool, a quality news source. Learn how they accept funds. Fund them. That is the entire practice.