isobel's internet </>

so you want to learn about the indie web?

the internet isn't what it used to be. your experience online probably centers around flipping through a few websites, consuming content chosen by an algorithm rather than discovering it on your own volition. do you remember surfing the web? the internet was once a place to explore. why is that a relic of the past?

the modern internet is increasingly controlled by tech oligarchs such as meta and x (formerly twitter), prioritizing profit and data extraction over user agency. platforms like instagram now use your posts—and your dms if you allow it—to train ai without offering an option to opt out. your experience on the internet today is one of compromise, a sacrifice of your autonomy and privacy. algorithms inform how we share our lives and have replaced human intention. with every post, you are encouraged to create content that generates engagement, not share what matters to you. tech giants are engineering our behavior for profit, and many aren't even aware of it. and remember, the problems that exist online are just a reflection of issues in the real world.

all hope is not lost. on the periphery of this corporate-controlled web, a diy movement thrives. the web revival movement, or the indie web, champions personal websites, creative expression, and self-hosted content, offering a decentralized alternative that rejects algorithmic manipulation in favor of digital autonomy. the indie web, for some, may serve as a rebuttal to the internet today. but it holds its roots in what the internet once was: a space for independent expression, discovery, and connection. the indie web proves that we can take back our autonomy and carve a personality-filled corner on the internet, free from the profit-driven motives of big tech.

a bit about web history, specifically geocities

the internet was once an open frontier where anyone could create and share whatever they pleased. in the early 1990s and 2000s, people built their own corners of the internet with html and css. geocities, introduced in 1994, offered a home to house such sites, free of charge. geocities wasn’t just a platform—it was a culture in itself, one with its own terminology. it was organized into “neighborhoods,” which were categorized by different interests. pages were filled with flashing gifs, graphics, shrines to their favorite band or character, guestbooks, visitor counters, buttons, and endless “under construction” signs. many of those terms live on in the indie web, despite dying out in the mainstream.

some surviving terminology

however, by the early 2000s, the internet began to change. tech giants like facebook, google, and yahoo! started to take over. geocities was acquired by yahoo! in 1999 and eventually terminated in 2009, marking the end of an era.

geocities is gone but its spirit remains. neocities, launched in 2013, is a revival of the same diy ethos imbued in the neighborhoods of geocities. neocities, much like geocities, allow people to craft their online world however they please. the platform is a hosting service for sites crafted with html, css, and javascript. neocities provides the tools but the user is responsible for its vision. although there are alternatives, neocities largely represents the contemporary indie web. users reclaim the ethos of the early internet and reject corporate, ad, and spam filled algorithmic platforms like we see today. the traditions of geocities lives on in the indie web, outside of the mainstream but thriving as its own niche.

be a weirdo, be yourself

this is a bit of a divergence from the main topic and a bit more about myself, but i think the core message resonates with the ideals of the indie web. if you’ve explored my site, you’ve probably read some lyrics, heard some snippets, read my blog, and maybe pieced together the themes of my creative world. ultimately, i hope i’m leading by example. maybe my music, lyrics, and the musings on my site can inspire someone else to be authentic about what they love and believe in, because the websites i’ve found on the indie web inspired me to do just that. being afraid of a topic is all the more reason to write about it. be weird. it’s the only way you can say something new, and say something that’s you. creativity isn’t reserved for the elite—it’s a part of the human experience. reclaiming your digital footprint is just one way to do that, and i hope you’ll take the ideals of the indie web and apply them in your unique ways. because, ultimately, the internet and its issues are just a reflection of the real world. we, as a collective, are responsible for organizing solutions when the elite systemically strip us of our agency.

resources for your website

tools to reclaim your internet

interesting media about the indie web + internet