The key points
- Freedom of expression
- Do not settle for less in an online service, just for conformity's sake
- Different strokes, bu buu bubu buust
I answer your question of, "why make a website?" with the question of, "why make anything?"
I give great thanks to my third caregiver who nurtures past, present, and future me
I think there is simply something so phenomenal about the internet, its omnipresence but also its fluidity. It can be so much and so little, and that is entirely up to the people. By nature. The biggest shame is to see it contort to the whims of late-stage capitalism, but it will never fully yield to that power.
I think my protective-ness towards the internet is rooted in how it has raised me specifically. Certainly, there was a long period of my adolescence where it became a very dangerous platform, and I gave away parts of myself that I'll never be able to fully rinse from the digital world. However, for the most part, it was where my home was and where I found community. This can be as literal as my Club Penguin igloo, MovieStarPlanet crib, or the streets of Moshi (or whatever it was called), but the concept of community and 'place' is kind of woven into the very act of using the internet; it was made to connect, and it legitimately helped me feel connected when I struggled to connect in my day-to-day. For that, I owe a lot of love to it.
My ego permits itself to be known through the smallest cells of the collective bloodstream
I just want to be known, but it goes against my skewed sense of pride to yell out loud, "I exist." I suppose that's why personal websites are so attractive. With these, you can have some presence to others that doesn't encroach on anyone's time unless they give way for it to. More often than not, it is so gratifying to stumble across something so personal and indicative of its creator. I assume if you're here, you understand exactly what I mean. It is that mutual exchange of seeing and being seen that first made sitebuilding so inviting.
Because this online presence doesn't exist within the context of online hyperconsumption, I don't feel like I have to 'justify' it to anyone either nor underpin the whole endeavour with ambitions of my own omnipresence.
Having a space where nothing is truly "complete" is also a huge comfort for me. I can leave for months and return with the same level of passion and possibly even more understanding of how I want to build my site and what I want to put into it. It is a forever friend, you'll always find your way back to them.
Web revival as a movement and the fulfilment of participation
Speculations for the future of tech
The perfect digital world
What scares me
What's the ideal web crafting playlist? If your site was a nice soup, what would be its ingredients?? If your great-grandkids find your site in 100 years, what do you wanna show them about this moment in time? What is the World Wide Web?1. This website will forever stand as rejection of the modern modes of monetisation. No ads. No sponsorships. Any avenues for profit come from my own hard work and the conscious choice of you, the viewer.
2. The webmaster (me hehe) will continue to support neighbouring webmasters in their web building endeavors, and encourage viewers to continue their exploration for cool as shit personal sites.
3. This website will never promote or tolerate hate, discrimination, harassment, or the glorification of violence/other exploitative materials. NSFW content will always be prefaced. If there are any issues, concerns, or further questions, feel free to mail taterinx@gmail.com Part of me wants to keep this community of static site builders and old web reminiscers from the mainstream. Twitter can keep its frequent bouts of toxicity, and Instagram can keep its content farms. Part of me also thinks that's selfish and counterproductive, to keep the hope of a fully free web under wraps because I lack hope in our societies to collectively respect our ethos. My stance on the internet will remain messy in this way for some time, I have the smallest memories of how things used to look and feel almost left out of that era of the web. I also don't want to feel left out of my social circles. And I like when the suspcious algorithms feed me cat videos and Monster High G1 v G3 debate. I also realised that there was a discourse around this idea of web nostalgia, that in all its nature to appreciate an archiac culture, it breeds a certain kind of people who get a high from this newfound freedom to craft something, only to craft something lacking in humanity. This essay prompted some thought. Definitely read it. It was definitely written to get some people talking, and I can't say whether or not I fully agree with the sentiments. But also, is it my place to disagree or agree? I'm very new to this. In any case, the anxieties started hitting, all over again. I don't have any cool trivia that no one's heard of, I only have myself, and I suck. Eventually, though, I had to fight against that line of thinking. I'm an artist, I can and aspire to become a full time artist, game developer, music producer, and a rambler for all the things I care to ramble about, like RuPaul's Drag Race, why Lego: Pirates of the Caribbean rocks, and why Discord has become a hellscape like the very platforms it initially aimed to separate itself from. The unfortunate thing here is that I'm battling a depression. I never wanted it to be an excuse really, but it stands as the reason for why I've yet to turn this site into an avenue for all the creative talents I allude to possessing, or the interests I imply I have. If anything, this site stands as environmental storytelling: as I heal, the site will breathe more life, beyond my amusement of the Windows XP aesthetic. There's probably some counter-argument that these silly little sites shouldn't be taken so seriously, that the sites that don't offer much but a visual spectacle can very easily be moved on from. Then there's the counter-counter-argument that those sites nevertheless multiply like a virus in webrings and search results, and that they say they're for fun and then piss their pants at invalidation. Then I get a headache and try to stop thinking about it. A big discussion can very well be had about the internet, it's a contentious piece of cultural phenomena. But at the end of the day, this site is only 2 months old, and my intentions stretch much further than to indulge a bit in some web nostalgia then piss off. This site grows with me. I'm not really trying to make any bold statements. Not yet.