Social media sucks.
It used to be cool. But not anymore.
In the old days, everyone had their own free Geocities website, or MySpace, or Xenga. The list goes on. There were sites everywhere that allowed you to fully customize and deck out your own page however you liked. Everyone knew some HTML and CSS. People created and shared .gifs they made to display on their pages. Their pages were like a home base where they could share whatever they wanted.
Eventually that kind of thing was replaced by Facebook, which was super streamlined and practical, at the cost of personalization. Then with the success of Facebook, that brought about new social media platforms with different specializations, but a similar cold feel.
The IndieWeb is a movement for building a more decentralized, human-centric internet where individuals own their data and online identity, rather than relying on large, centralized platforms.
Basically it’s about a return to the way the Internet used to be.
As a web developer, I personally love this movement. I love the retro feel of many of the personal websites popping up recently. And I’m hoping to create a unique but nostalgic feel with my own website.
You’re totally free to just make a website and share stuff. Instead of telling people to look you up on social media, point people to your own cobbled together half-finished site. Have links that go to pages with “under construction” notices. Share your favorite books and music. Have a simple blog where you share random thoughts knowing no one will read it. It’s fun. Who cares?
The Indieweb is a sign that many people want to return to a world where we create our own expectations, instead of being pressured to be just like everyone else.
No more pressure to have a cookie-cutter profile on a megacorp’s website that’s sucking the life out of you through thousands of tiny hits of endorphins thanks to the all-powerful algorithm.
We’re in control of ourselves. Creating a home base for yourself on the internet, that’s truly yours, is a cool way to take back some of that control.
