> That's the general problem of economic inequality, though. It's not specific to the Internet.
Yes, but advertisement showed that it wasn't a structural limitation and that other options were available. Even if said options themselves had downsides.
Donations were and are a thing for covering hosting costs in many communities.
Not if the site serves videos and has 2024-levels world traffic.
Disadvantaged groups will already have less free time to share content, less exposure to the technical skills needed to do so, less attention, respect, and opportunity from doing so, etc. Advertising places a fig leaf over unequal access, but really makes the inequality worse by centralizing wealth and control in the hands of a few rent-seeking operations.