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

[EastDakota]

I definitely agree with this, Being trans is difficult, and I can express more of that part of myself in places like my personal website! So that's neat

[lildevildog]

  Weirdly, I feel less confident, at least right now on the indie web. I think that because its de-centralized, its more like walking into someone's house and trying to get to know them with no prior socialization, whereas modern social media is more like sitting down in an open public spot where there are a ton of people already having conversations that you know you can fit into, and its also less risky socially because there are so many people that even if you said something stupid, people may not even notice it. You're kinda just a brick in the wall. I absolutely WANT to be able to gell with a community on the indie web and I do think its better in most respects, but I'm more nervous in these environments socially overall.

[Null]

its more like walking into someone's house and trying to get to know them with no prior socialization, whereas modern social media is more like sitting down in an open public spot where there are a ton of people already having conversations that you know you can fit into,

Hey, if it helps, you're welcome to walk into my internet house and start talking to me anytime!  (From what I've seen, most people here are pretty welcoming to guests  )

[w8n8]

It depends... I think I can express myself more on the indie web without having to worry about what people think. I'm very socially anxious in that regard, and it's one of the reasons why I dislike posting on SNS. I get nervous thinking about people seeing my posts and responding, so I always lock interactions. On the indie web, it's my own personal digital house. I can do whatever I want and not worry about it. I do not need to interact with anyone, I can make a customizable website with all the stuff I like, and it's mine forever. In that sense... I think I'm more expressive.   

However, I very much dislike sharing any aspects of myself online, indie web or SNS. I never even share what is happening in my life, opinions, or anything like that. This is mostly just because I am a private person. But I am able to design more efficiently and to my personal graphical & artistic tastes. So I would say I am less "individual" but more so artistically expressive. That, and I dislike making my online experience about myself. It is more about what I can share than my personhood. Does that make sense?

[KibbehTheKib]

Weirdly, I feel less confident, at least right now on the indie web. I think that because its de-centralized, its more like walking into someone's house and trying to get to know them with no prior socialization, whereas modern social media is more like sitting down in an open public spot where there are a ton of people already having conversations that you know you can fit into, and its also less risky socially because there are so many people that even if you said something stupid, people may not even notice it. You're kinda just a brick in the wall. I absolutely WANT to be able to gell with a community on the indie web and I do think its better in most respects, but I'm more nervous in these environments socially overall.

I read through the other replies before posting my response, and I was waiting for someone to say something like this! not sure I feel less confident with the indie web than social media necessarily, but rather that both can be reassuring or anxiety-inducing in their own ways.

with the indie web, there's a lot more focus on personal expression... which does encourage you to open up, but that added emphasis can make the stakes feel higher than they usually are. it's like everything I'm doing is part of a larger painting, an expression of "myself," so I want it to be good and cohesive! meanwhile, with tumblr, I can just kinda... chuck a post into the ether, untagged, and it'll be one tiny voice among thousands. the ability to not be a person, but be faceless "noise," is genuinely comforting sometimes. (I imagine this is different on bigger platforms like twitter... back when I used it, it felt like randos tended to insert themselves into my business more often.)

that said, I think the ceiling for personal expression on the indie web is a lot higher. at the end of the day you can just go "this is MY house" and write or decorate in any way you want. regardless of where I put my words, I'm trying to be more open... but as someone who's generally pretty reticent, it's a slow process. :P

[Horsey Chobunso]

I don't really feel more like myself on the indie net, but I am much more comfortable just posting on my site compared to Tumblr, which is the only social media i still use. I often get this feeling of trying to impress or align with a group on Tumblr, especially when i post pictures. I just want them to get seen, but i spend too much time thinking about what will land with people. I'm never really filtering out the personal bits, just choosing not to post at all instead.

[honeyontoast]

I feel I'm able to express myself more fully in my personal site than any other social media. I think it's because it's so open and "unalgorithmic", there's no in-group to feel excluded from, and therefore try to conform to. I update my site because I enjoy it, I don't track hits, there's no commenting, it's all for me. Almost like a diary I intentionally leave in public.

In fact, I actually wish the social media-lite profiles on Neocities were reduced, because that does sometimes feel a little cliquey.

I don't know if it'd be considered decentralised, though I suppose it is - I also occasionally post on an anonymous image board (not that one) and the total anonymity also allows me to feel more confident about being the real me. This one I suppose is a double-edged sword, the total anonymity attracts trolls but since this is such a small image board, 99% of people are kind to each other. Again, because there are no usernames and no upvotes, there's nobody vying for attention, it's discussion for discussion's sake.