There’s a problem with the web. Unfortunately, the fix isn’t easy. But nothing in life that’s worth it is.

It’s 2026. The world is more connected than ever. I can open my podcast app and listen to a man in Italy talk to two others in New York and North Carolina about video game handhelds. I can watch endless videos about a British man adventuring with his friends through every nook and cranny of Japan. I can scroll through a news feed to find out about politics on the other side of the world. And most importantly, you and I can connect with people we care about regardless of the distance. Yet, as you and I both know, there’s something deeply wrong.

Peoples’ attentions are divided among just a handful of social platforms or news sites with endless feeds and incomprehensible algorithms. These algorithms are kept fed by the most volatile — and therefore click-generating — titles and content. We prize witty, off-the-cuff quips that demonstrate our certified Correct Opinions™ over well-articulated thoughts. We post everything that comes to our minds, then get mad at others when they respond in a way we don’t like. And, worst of all, these algorithms that we feed don’t even serve us in turn. Instead, it sticks us in isolated wards, only letting in just-enough dissent that allows outrage and discord to foment. It gathers information on our habits so that we can be sold more shit that we don’t need to line the pockets of people with unimaginable amounts of wealth. We’re connected alright, but at what cost?

So, What Is to Be Done?

There’s a few reactions that we could take:

1. We could reject the web entirely; return ourselves to a time where analogue devices were the other methods of communications.
2. We could turn a blind-eye to these problems. Things will surely get better with time, right?
3. We could embrace an older form of the Internet. One with more friction, sure, but one that leverages the web for deeper connection and creativity.

Considering you’re on this blog, I’m sure you know which path I’ve chosen to walk.

There was a time when most people using the Internet had a homepage or blog where they could talk about their interests, hobbies, or whatever the hell they wanted to talk about. We can have that again. It’ll just take a bit of work…

Friction

It’s important to not romanticize the past. Every historian knows that. So, it’s key that I acknowledge the problems with the indie web.

Obviously, there is difficulty in convincing everyone to maintain their own website. I mean, who has the time nowadays? Plus, not everyone will want to learn the skill of coding in HTML, CSS, and Javascript, let alone maintain a server. I myself have experimented with it, but learning hasn’t been the easiest thing in the world. Sure, I’ve made this blog, but it took time to actually get it up-and-running. What can those of us who don’t want to worry about that do?

There are many blogging platforms out there, but the one I’d recommend for its simplicity and indie spirit would be Pika. I’ve personally used Pika for my first experiment with blogging before, and I can say that it’s extremely easy to get going with without any background experience. Its interface is simple to understand and there’s very little one needs to do to make a nice-looking blog. If there’s more customization that you want to do, you can add custom CSS code to spice up your look.

If you’re like me and want to try your hand at designing a website, though, then the most frictionless course of action would be to set up a Neocities site. That requires you to write your own HTML and CSS like ye olden days, but takes away the headache of server hosting. Plus, Neocities is a great repository for seeing others’ extremely creative websites.

If this sounds like too much for you, I want to emphasize something: the friction is the point. What social media corporations rely on is the promise of an extremely frictionless experience at no cost to you. However, as the old saying goes: “If it’s free, then you are the product.” These companies will sell your data to advertisers so they can better take advantage of your psychology to sell you their products. The lack of friction also leads to doomscrolling with little-to-no meaningful gain, just wasted time…

Conclusion

As I’ve grown older, I’ve thought about my lack of time more and more. In what felt like just a blink, I’ve gone from an 18 year-old freshman in college to a history-degree-holding 25 year-old. So much of that time has been lost to meaningless scrolling or shopping or arguing or being barraged by relentless negativity.

I won’t be young forever. While my energy and optimism are still intact, I’d like to learn new skills and try to create things that matter — things that change peoples’ points of view or at least helps them look from another perspective. I think that human drive is something we’re often missing from the algorithm-driven Internet, and I want that humanity back. If you do too, I hope that you can go out and create and flourish and impact your community and those you love, more empowered by the Internet. The Internet is a tool, and as such should serve us.

Post-Script

This essay was a much worse summary of these two essays:

• The Boring Internet by Terry Godier
• A Website to End All Websites by Henry Desroches