The Web We Lost – And Why It Matters
Once upon a time, the internet felt like an adventure. Every website had a personality. Blogs, forums, and hand-coded pages thrived in an era where the web was a creative canvas—not a corporate product. If you were online in the 90s or early 2000s, you probably had a GeoCities page, a LiveJournal, or a custom-built blog. You controlled your space.
Then came the silos. Social media platforms promised simplicity and connection, but at a cost: our control. Instead of owning our content, we rented space in walled gardens run by tech giants. We traded independence for convenience, and today, our digital lives are at the mercy of algorithms, content moderation policies, and shifting terms of service.
But the fight isn’t over. A growing movement—the IndieWeb—is pushing back, advocating for a return to an open, user-controlled internet. Could this be the revolution we need?
How We Lost Control of Our Online Presence
The transformation of the web from a decentralised playground to a corporate-controlled landscape happened gradually. Here’s how it played out:
- The Death of Personal Websites – In the 90s and early 2000s, platforms like GeoCities, Angelfire, and Blogger let users create custom pages. But social media’s rise made personal sites obsolete. Facebook and Twitter were easier, so people abandoned their blogs.
- The Algorithmic Trap – Social media platforms hooked us by offering free access to audiences—until they changed the rules. Organic reach plummeted, forcing content creators to pay for visibility.
- Data as a Commodity – Every interaction on a centralized platform feeds a surveillance economy. We aren’t the customers—we’re the product.
- The Risk of Digital Extinction – When platforms shut down, everything disappears. Google+? Gone. Vine? Dead. If you only exist on a corporate-owned site, you have no control over your digital legacy.
The web was never meant to be owned by corporations. It was supposed to be ours.
What is the IndieWeb?
The IndieWeb is a movement to reclaim the internet by encouraging people to create and control their own websites again. The core idea? Own your content, control your identity, and decentralise the web.
Here’s what makes the IndieWeb different:
- Personal websites over social media dependence – Instead of posting solely on Twitter, you publish content on your own site and syndicate it elsewhere (POSSE: “Publish on your Own Site, Syndicate Elsewhere”).
- Webmentions instead of centralized likes and comments – A decentralised system that lets websites communicate, so a response to your blog post can appear across the web, even on someone else’s site.
- Microformats for a connected independent web – A set of standards that ensure personal sites can still interact, making a decentralised web more accessible.
- Federation and self-hosting – Platforms like Mastodon (a decentralised Twitter alternative) show that social media doesn’t have to be owned by a single company.
Think of it like the internet before social media took over—only smarter, stronger, and more resistant to corporate control.
The IndieWeb in Action: Who’s Using It?
You don’t have to be a hardcore techie to join the IndieWeb. Here are some tools and communities leading the way:
- Neocities – A modern reboot of GeoCities that lets users easily create and host their own websites, bringing back the DIY web culture of the early internet. If you miss the days of hand-coded homepages, Neocities is your gateway to reclaiming the web.
- Micro.blog – A Twitter-like space where users own their content and cross-post it to social networks.
- Mastodon – A decentralised alternative to Twitter, running on independent servers but still interconnected.
- Write.as & Bear Blog – Modern, minimalist blogging platforms that give users complete control.
- IndieWeb.org – A community helping people take back control of their online presence.
Some have already started making the switch—whether through self-hosted blogs, federated social networks, or embracing open-source alternatives. Platforms like Neocities prove that personal web spaces aren’t dead. People still crave digital independence—without algorithmic interference.
Can the IndieWeb Scale? The Challenges Ahead
For all its promise, the IndieWeb faces real challenges:
- It’s Not as Easy as Social Media – Creating a personal website still takes more effort than signing up for Facebook. IndieWeb tools need to become as seamless as mainstream platforms.
- Discoverability is Hard – In an algorithm-driven world, how do independent sites get found? Without Twitter or Instagram pushing content, visibility can be a struggle.
- Mainstream Resistance – People like convenience. Getting them to abandon walled gardens is a tough sell—unless centralized platforms push them too far.
But these problems aren’t insurmountable. After all, the early web wasn’t easy either—we just cared enough to build it anyway.
Why This Matters: The Case for a Better Web
The IndieWeb isn’t just about nostalgia; it’s about ownership, permanence, and freedom. Here’s why reclaiming the web matters:
- Your Content, Your Rules – No more shadowbans, no sudden account suspensions, no algorithms dictating your reach.
- Privacy & Independence – You control your data. No surveillance economy tracking your every move.
- Digital Permanence – Your work doesn’t vanish when a company decides to shut down.
If we don’t take control of our digital lives now, we’ll lose even more in the future. But if enough of us push back, we can rebuild the web into something worth using.
Conclusion: How to Join the IndieWeb Movement
The IndieWeb doesn’t have to be an all-or-nothing move. Even small steps make a difference. Here’s how to start:
✅ Start a Personal Website – Even a simple blog gives you more control than a Facebook page.
✅ Cross-Post Instead of Relying on Social Media – Use tools like Micro.blog or WordPress to publish first on your own domain.
✅ Join Decentralised Platforms – Explore Mastodon, PeerTube, or other federated networks.
✅ Spread the Word – The more people know about the IndieWeb, the stronger it becomes.
The internet was never meant to be a gated community—it was meant to be ours. It’s time to stop scrolling and start building again.
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