Streaming video as well. I remember when YouTube was new and PornHub was just straight up the best video host on the internet. People were uploading their SFW videos there because the buffering was so much better.

Porn may have been one factor, but the bad recording times on beta are what really killed it. Here is a series of four videos detailing the differences between beta and VHS. And there was plenty of porn available on the beta.

Imagine spending a thousand dollar right now on technology that has two standards not compatible and who knows if it is going to even work just so you could consume one type of media in the privacy of your home. Which media would be worth this great expense and risk?

You're probably right. I think it matters more to content creators than consumers? Like, posting porn to Reddit is often advertising? And like anything, people must get some form if satisfaction interactions on specialty subs. You can't just go to Pornhub and upload your favorite foot porn, right? Get upvotes, get that tiny dose of dopamine. Get to comment about how beautiful the girl is, hoping maybe she'll like your complement more than the other thirsty guys'.

Social media, man. Interaction, even meaningless... it's its own drug.

in a better format than a link aggregator.

Wouldn't that also apply to any image content then (like comics, memes, infographics, etc)? It doesn't stop it from being popular. The important thing is simply finding a site that allows your specific content and that doesn't heavily compress it.