| SEP | 17 | TUE |
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Aside from putting more contents in my site (I added a resources page and a gallery btw!) I learned three big things: static site generators, digital gardens and Obsidian! Wow! I’ll eventually write about them because I want to talk about it more in depth but first I just want to rant a bit.
current thoughts being thunk
So… Twitter (yes, twitter. there’s another name? no such thing. you’re making it up)… Yeah. I’ve lost count on times I’ve wanted to deactivate because I know it’s definitely not the same site I’ve known since 2010, yeah I’m an online hag. Everything I hate about the internet now, it’s all there. GenAI, dead internet theory, kpop stan culture, the complete lack of literary comprehension, blatant misogyny, the site’s spaghetti code in shambles, engagement farming; you name it. Now that I put it that way, it’s actually stupid that I’m still there.
But then, I can’t bring myself to leave complete because I’ve met amazing people through this site before its enshittification (I stopped connecting with people after and locked my account, it just don’t feel that safe anymore) and I love my friends, I enjoy reading their tweets about their life and their ever-changing fandoms and I love them so much that the fact that I can keep in touch with them still greatly overweighs my hatred for this current iteration of Twitter.
“The overwhelming lesson of the Web 2.0 social media age is that dumping millions of people together into decontextualised social spaces is a shit show. Devoid of any established social norms and abstracted from our specific cultural identities, we end up in awkward, aggravating exchanges with people who are socially incoherent to us. We know nothing of their lives, backgrounds, or belief systems, and have to assume the worst.” - A Brief History & Ethos of the Digital Garden
smallweb interactions
Recently I’ve been spending my time more outside social media and just going from one personal website to another. I visit a website > I’m inspired > I check their blogroll/net neighbors page > repeat. Besides the links page I have in my site, I also keep a list of site inspirations in my notes app with notes on which parts I like.
One day while I was doing my usual browsing, I had a random epiphany out of nowhere. I realized that in order to connect with other people in the smallweb, you actually have to put in the effort to interact with them. Like, you know, writing in their guestbook, putting their buttons in your links page. And putting in effort also comes with intention. And I really like that. I really appreciate the thought of having intention in online interactions because there’s no algorithm or whatsoever that would hand over the things I want on a silver platter without me actively searching for it.
I’d like to think that everyone that has a personal website and a guestbook will always appreciate someone leaving a comment. I would know, cuz I feel that way. And yet, most of the times, my shyness get the better of me. I want to reach out to someone whose website inspired me but instead I quietly add their site to my list and their button to my links page.
So here’s a note to myself which may also apply to you: if you like someone’s website, let them know! Their virtual guestbook functions just as the same as a physical guestbook. If you dropped by their website, if you have the same interests, if you like what they put in their site, you have to put in the effort to connect with them. You wouldn’t really lose anything if you left a comment and the best thing that could happen is you’ll make a friend in this vast landscape.
And the interaction doesn’t stop there. I’ve also been making the effort to check my net neighbors’ sites from time to time for updates. Since some sites live in different hosts, I have to manually go through my links page. Sure, it’s the longcut (compared to social media timelines) but I personally like the intention behind it. I’ve been surprised with some sites closing but I understand, shit happens. I just need to remember write in guestbooks more often gfdkjngdfkj
I know this realization might be common sense to some but I only discovered the small web 5 months ago so basically I’m a babie. Still, it’s nice to learn as I navigate this part of the internet.
I’ll see you again in the next entry. By the way, today’s FFXVI release day in Steam! I can’t wait!!!!