I’m a 2004 baby who spent too much time online as a child. The internet was fun and exciting, a playground of games and communities to engage in. Websites like StumbleUpon were a treasure trove, where with each click you’d find someone’s oftentimes odd, but always unique, passion project. I loved being online; I could spend hours lost in rabbit holes or finding new things. But now, the internet has lost its charm. I cycle through the same 3 social media apps and I scroll, and I scroll and I scroll. I see the same things in the same format and the same style. 10 second video, 8 second video, photo, screenshot from another social media app, 15 second video of a screenshot from another social media app. It’s nothing like the internet I grew up with, and so much of what I loved about being online as a child is now gone. Flash games no longer work, forums and chat rooms are empty. Rather than somewhere to explore, the internet feels so much smaller and limited to a few apps. I’m sure this is fuelled by the way our generation is connected 24/7, but how has something that was once a childhood dream become such a nightmare?
Social media marked the beginning of the end, but it was corporations on social media that truly killed the fun of the internet. Everything is optimised, ad-filled and run by big corporations, rather than being a genuine community of people sharing and creating. Social media has robbed us of our online agency: we are restricted in what we can post (character limits on X, short form videos on TikTok, etc.) and what we consume due to algorithms (especially so now they influence search functions within apps), leaving us dependent on corporations. This content is never truly ours – if a company shuts down, the content we’ve created will be gone forever, as is evident from Google+ and Vine. Additionally, our data on these platforms is collected, sold and used against us in the form of targeted ads. Social media platforms have become commercial, with constant product placement, advertisements and brand-sponsored content, with a corporate sleekness that would make any content bland. The internet doesn’t feel human anymore;what used to be free is now constantly pestering you to spend money. Subscriptions make formerly good websites, like YouTube, into worse products, with the platform now almost unusable with the volume of ads. Algorithms feed us the same content everyday. These apps are designed to keep you doing the same thing and doing it for a long time – scrolling becomes a constant slot machine where you look for one dopamine hit after another. It’s slop and it’s boring, and we all know that, but with the prevalence of these platform giants what can be done?
I’d like to introduce you to the IndieWeb, a solution that aims to bring the internet back to its community-run routes.
So what is the IndieWeb?
● It’s a “people-focused alternative to the corporate web”, a community of personal and independent websites that focus on 3 main principles:
1. Owning your domain and it being your primary online identity
2. Owning your content
3. Publishing on your own site
● It prides itself on owning your own content – keeping you better connected and in control.
What’s fun about it?
● It has a community based feel like the early internet where people are less toxic
● A change from scrolling and posting photos – actually making and consuming content rather than passive app use
● A piece of internet owned by you, not a private business! No worries about platforms shutting down/losing content.
● Pride in ownership. Bugs become fun to fix. Dedicating time to something that you know is yours is rewarding.
● Complete customisation and control over what the site looks like and what you can post on it, not limited to the same layout as everyone else like on social media. Brings a fun uniqueness as no two websites are the same.
● Content is more enjoyable as you’re not being constantly bombarded with adverts.
How can I get started?
● You don’t have to be able to code – hosting sites like WordPress make a great starting point!
● Get your own domain. This is inexpensive (around £10 a year) and can often be free.
● The IndieWeb website has lots of tutorials and forums to support you in getting started and is the best place for more information!
The IndieWeb is fun and rewarding and something I hope will grow in the coming years. The internet doesn’t have to just be doom scrolling; let’s reclaim it from big companies and start to make it back to what it used to be.
Author: Erin Tait [she/her]
qmunicatemagazine.co.uk 