ask any user what "hypertext" is and you'll get a confused look; similarly, give them a black-on-white, no-css page and they'll think it looks quite ugly and isn't a good experience. spas are commonly horrible to use but restricting everything to the model of the internet as it existed in the 80s is not a good thing either

Just because my mother in law doesn't use the word hypertext doesn't mean she doesn't know how to use a link, and isn't frustrated when some places can't do it.

99% don't know how anything works, but they still have preferences.

Hypertext doesn't have to break with SPAs.