In the early days of the web, the only thing that mattered was getting that content out to users no matter how long it took or what resources it consumed. As a matter of fact, users seemed to understand and were ready to wait till whenever there browser's loading spinner stops and the contents displayed.
You know that moment when you click a video link on your phone while on your way to grab a coffee from the office kitchen, but then you get that annoying buffering icon, and just give up? That video might have been interesting, maybe even valuable, but it’s just not worth your time.