THE 'FESTO
or
Aren't You Tired of It Yet?
Let's Revive the Net!
The current web experience is fucked up. Lots of people think it, but collectively we have a sort of tendency to just accept it as the new norm. I'm here because I'm tired of it, and I wanna do something that matters. Be part of something bigger, in my own little way.
Cool Shit is Still Out There!
There is so much to explore on the Internet, the infinite archive!
As someone born in the early 2000s, I've only caught a glimpse of what it was like before the prevalence of social media and stalker-ass algorithms of the Now.
Like many, I assumed the old Web experience to be long dead and gone, replaced by Web 2.0's classic characteristics (Read: capitalism's toxic greed, and the inevitable death by suffocation from all of our daily exposure. Kinda dramatic of me but I think it's not too far from the truth.) In a way, I was looking for a way out of that shit experience, and, of course, choosing to simply touch grass is always an option.
But it does not replace what the internet gives us, including interaction, creation, and share of passion we seek out from it.This is why, upon finding out about the idea of a Web Revival movement, I was hella intrigued. What do you mean there's still plenty of communities and individuals out there, looking to create amazing spaces on the internet, by and for its people (or even for shits and giggles), sheerly powered by passion, weirdness, care, and other awesome things? WAIT, there's plenty of resources, too? Goddamn, sign me the hell up!!
Considering you're
here, I'd like to count you in as intrigued (or at least mildly curious), too!
But What The Hell Can We Do...
Now that we've established our interest in a cooler, passion and community driven Web, what're we gonna do about it? We can't simply choose to ignore Web 2.0, to be fair. It's all around us, daily. But I'm sure there's things we could do about it. I urge you to take into consideration a few basic things I find important, as we journey thru the Net and explore, interact, create, and generally cultivate a better place:
Be Kind.
Be Curious, Find/Share Cool Stuff.
Share Stuff.
CREATE!!!!!
Take Care of Yourself.
Yeah, yeah, I know, really fuckin' cliche. Hear me out though!! The socials that we know now mostly keep you around because they're toxic and predatory. They're there to steal your attention, get you riled up, and maybe even lose hope in other people a little... We have to always remind ourselves to stay kind. That's one step towards beating the shitty and divisive Net.
Seek things out, even if it takes effort. We were promised that good info would be at our fingertips by now. They mostly lied. But I promise that Cool Stuff is still out there. And it's worth it every time.
And on this note,
That same Cool Stuff, as well as genuinely valuable information, can be hard to come by. It doesn't sell as well. Who woulda thought!! Both staying curious for one's own sake, as well as being able to share your findings, is a great way to go about this. Communities, such as our own Neocities, can truly thrive because people share those kinda cool resources, and lower the bar for anyone with enough curiosity and passion to give things a try.
Create!!! Create for your niche fandom, create for your friend(s) to giggle, create for yourself!!!!!!! It's so fulfilling to create and put stuff out there, I promise. The endearing nature of personal websites, or stuff built just for shits and giggles, or that built for archival purposes, or made because of your special interest - it's all so fucking awesome, and full of awe-inspiring passion. Stumbling upon all of these gems of websites makes my day. Everyone's passions make MY passion flourish. So, CREATE.
And, sorta lastly,
This one can be tough, but I think we should more often than not keep ourselves and our well-being one of our main priorities. Step away if needed. I think that can help both us AND the general Net. Take care of yourself. Always. < 3
As for me, I feel like the existence of this website is already a great start to my contribution to all of this. I'll probably make a nice lil resources tab sometime, for anyone who needs it, and to shout out all the cool resources I've used, too.
Actually, maybe I'll abandon this silly side project in a few months. Who knows? I hope to stick around though!!! That is all I could ask of you, too.