What I understand is that most users prefer to have native apps. Personally, I use websites for certain services (Remitly, Pocket, Instapaper, etc.), while all my friends who use these same services have the respective applications installed on their phones.

Having a native app means it is there—you can share things from other applications, and it is easy to see it as a distinct entity that can be opened by clicking on the icon in the app drawer (you can do this with web apps; it's just that now there are load times, you may need to re-login, etc.). Apps allow offline functionality, access to device sensors and features, etc in a more seamless way. I hope the progressive web apps are able to do these things in the future.

In addition to all this, if you are a sophisticated user with an eye for detail, even for native applications, you want the right kind of native app that uses the OS's own widgets, icons, and UI patterns. It is a tough place for new services to gain acceptance.

imagine an internet where corporations were not allowed to steal the culture and pervert it into a moneymaker

apps, smart anything, and gaming of specs and standards are all about MITM the entire internet, and manipulating the culture away from organic and back to the, eat work buy status.