People used to have to learn HTML and about web hosting to be able to publish text on the internet for others to read. There was never anything stopping people from putting in the effort to do this. All that website builders, social media sites, and forums like HN do is allow people to accomplish this without putting in any kind of work. It's a terrible thing that's caused a race to the bottom in the web, reducing the variety and quality level of most people's browsing experiences.