4chan is less creative in general. less shoops. more frogs. less stories. more shitposting and AI.
>The internet felt bigger and it felt like at any moment you'd stumbled upon some crazy shit.
That's because in a way, it was. It was less centralized, and people spent far more time NOT on the internet... which is where creativity blossoms.
It's also partly because you were younger back then, everything was new and funny and interesting.