Do you feel more like your individuality comes more easily on the decentra-web?

[noahie]

I've never felt like I can't be myself, online or offline. However, having my own site gives me a greater freedom to express myself without working within the confines of a certain organizational system. More than that, it encourages me to be a producer of internet stuff, and not a passive consumer. To me, the added stakes in that make my time on the internet much more well spent.

Looking back on my internet history, I usually used conventional online spaces to consume stupid content. I got on Facebook around 2016 so that I could meet people at the university I was going to. There were several Facebook groups dedicated to the university, and I remember posting in those quite frequently. Then I got into Substack several years later, but that ended up being a bust because I realized I was falling for the stupid content trap again.

Really, I just want what I put on the internet to feel more permanent, like it's not gonna be taken down or forgotten about in some unindexed archive. If I have that, I feel more emboldened to pursue my individuality here.

[rnottelovesowls]

first, i just want to say that i never thought about the term "decentra-web" for these web revival spaces, and i have to say, that's a pretty great term!

to answer the question, yes. very much so. the customization is a big part; by taking one look at me, my website, or my work, it's clear that i was told to "be myself" one too many times, so i naturally take self-expression very seriously. but also, the indie web spaces are less confrontational and full of "stuff". that's one of my biggest gripes with big social media; everyone is so confrontational, argumentative, always looking to pick fights over things that don't matter, and they buy stuff they don't need just to be "cool" before throwing it away. twitter, reddit and tik tok are especially bad with this. you know that one twitter meme that goes "'i like pancakes' 'so you hate waffles?'" yeah, big social media is basically that plus conspicuous consumption. it's rage-bait. on the decentra-web, i don't have to worry about that

the hardest part is convincing others on big social media to get into the decentra-web. i know it's hard to move off of something you've used for years. but i'm sure many of them are wishing for an internet space where they can truly express themselves without worrying about algorithms and being advertised to all the time. so why not start now?

[atinytrashbag]

absolutely i do! i feel a lot more free to be myself without fear of getting myself scraped for ai use. i've noticed that it's a far more welcoming environment too, on the indie web! people are far more supportive of each other and their creative endeavours, and there's no need to appeal to algorithms because the joy of the indie web is finding other people's sites on your own through exploring. i'm still quite new to it all but i'm really enjoying it here

[virtualpet2001]

Absolutely!!! but tbh i think its more of a result of self expression being so open and permitted. in general i think that the more self expression is allowed the more openly honest people tend to be...i feel like thats one reason why second life is so popular LOL

[lakes]

While I don't ever feel fully "myself", I do think the indie web or decentra-web is more welcoming. Plus you're given more tools to express yourself if that makes sense.
I do think it's important to note that even on social media, I did feel simultaneously more & less comfortable expressing myself than in real life because reasons. I've been trying to break out of that habit though. I think with the indie web, it's less that I feel uncomfortable expressing myself & more that I'm not sure how to a lot of the time.

[Cyber_Cyan]

Definitely. I mean, that's mainly why I've come to this web-revival part of the internet for. Social media always makes me so anxious, but the internet has always been a place where I've came to have human interactions so I hated feeling the same way I felt IRL but online.

Even though my site isn't very well put together because I'm learning as I do things, I feel wayyy less anxious and more myself expressing what I like and my thoughts on it than on any social media where your posts are one-click away from harassment. Forums and personal websites are slow, intimate, and their audience is fewer. It's reassuring, like a cocoon. Things take time, that's okay, and it's yours to build on your own accord.

[Cele]

We really need to start using the term decentra-web, huh! Maybe make some graphics for it!

Of course there is a certain level of individuality that comes through my rambling essays and "graphic design is my passion" layouts. I could still not be "myself" on here or want to stand out too much because that gets you burned, social media or not. In that way, the individuality shining through is like a curse and a target I paint on myself unwittingly. To anyone who wants to screenshot my stuff to criticize on other forums (you cowards).

[Noah_S]

I discovered web revival yesterday and I already feel more comfortable being an individual. And I haven't had this much fun on an interactive part of the web since.. over a decade ago. I've missed the fun and silly stuff. And the buttons. I've missed the buttons. I wanted to make pictures to link to my site, but when I looked around at the corporate web people weren't doing that anymore and were barely linking to anyone else except when sharing some social media post.

Now here are some emoji just because I feel like clicking them                

[Null]

I discovered web revival yesterday and I already feel more comfortable being an individual.

Yooooooo welcome! It's always cool to see new faces around here ^^
I hope you continue to have a good experience :)     

[Indigo]

I think that's the case with myself here. I was on IG since roughly 2017? and when I slowly just decentralized it more and more the last couple of years with the implementation of fast consumer culture and AI, I just feel more comfortable in my skin again and I feel as if I am finding my personal style again.

My personal relationships feel more organic and less forced, I am learning to socialize normally and not like performative, quitting most streaming services also helped me explored what style of music and media in general I like as well.

I am also finding confidence in doing art again. IG became a rat race of engagements equaling validation and when the algorithms started happening more on there, it really affected my self esteem for awhile. Now I am at a place in my life where I don't care. Why should I need that validation anyways? A lot of artists I admire for years didn't even had social media in their time and they still just did what they were passionate about. And that's what I intend to do too, whether a successful artist or a part time hobbyist.

So yeah, I feel like I am growing up again with this decentra-web.

[dogbrain]

i'd say it absolutely does! getting involved with the small web has really helped me understand how the feeling of depersonalization on social media isn't a bug, but a feature

there's a reason all major platforms share essentially the same formulaic cookie-cutter layout: people are easier to advertise to when they're easily categorized. we're encouraged to sand down our personalities to their most marketable aspects, which in turn reflects in the UIs of said platforms; your little avatar pops up next to whatever short thought you post and anyone viewing your profile can instantly understand you as a whole multifaceted person from your 140-character bio. nuance becomes a farce. it all comes down to money.

personal websites, on the other hand, lack these financial incentives, because it was never about making money in the first place!!! it's about having fun and expressing yourself!!!!! there's so much less pressure to capture lightning in a bottle when you're not constantly consuming the latest news and trends. i could make the shittiest, graphic-design-is-my-passion-est looking page entirely dedicated to lava lamps and why i think they're cool and i wouldn't have to worry about anyone else's judgments of me for it because it literally does not matter, i am the sole target audience. could i do that on twitter or instagram too? ...well Yes, but it would be pretty soul sucking in comparison

honestly i wish i'd discovered this side of the web sooner. i was far too young in the 2000s to have had internet access, but i think if i'd gotten a chance to experience web 1.0 in its heyday, i'd have formed a much better relationship with my online presence from the get-go. of course that's something i'm working on now, and i'm so grateful that i discovered the indie web! i'd be such a different person had i never gotten in touch with my individuality as a digital entity via making my website

[Noah_S]

Yooooooo welcome! It's always cool to see new faces around here ^^
I hope you continue to have a good experience :)     

Thank you    

In addition to what I wrote before.. I just realized that I can write other stuff on my website too. I don't have to be boxed in to only focusing on art there. I was browsing the indie web and seeing people with multiple interests. And it still took me a few days to figure out that I can do that. Who's gonna stop me? The algorithm? That's not a thing here