This is a really great, balanced profile of the Indie Web movement. There’s thoughtful criticism alongside some well-deserved praise:
If we itemize the woes currently afflicting the major platforms, there’s a strong case to be made that the IndieWeb avoids them. When social-media servers aren’t controlled by a small number of massive public companies, the incentive to exploit users diminishes. The homegrown, community-oriented feel of the IndieWeb is superior to the vibe of anxious narcissism that’s degrading existing services.
Tantek’s barnstorming closing talk from Beyond Tellerrand. This is well worth 30 minutes of your time.
Own your domain. Own your content. Own your social connections. Own your reading experience. IndieWeb services, tools, and standards enable you to take back your web.
Just remembered I did this last night. Part of my contribution to the IndieWeb. Coming soon…
Alan Jacobs makes a good point: it’s a feature that the IndieWeb won’t exactly replace existing social media or replicate its worst features. It can scale by encouraging communities with standards, and no single Facebook-like point of failure (or control).
The New Yorker: Can “Indie” Social Media Save Us? — by Cal Newport, featuring Micro.blog, Mastodon, and the IndieWeb alternative to big social networks. Welcome everyone discovering Micro.blog today!