This might be the depressing answer, but: nothing.
Most people want a fun (=addictive), nice looking, free (=no cost to them), easy to use web.
And the current internet will always outperform the old one. Ads generate revenue and allow companies to fund development costs, hosting costs and optimize their page for search engines better than individuals.
You, personally, can use platforms that mimick the old web, just like you’re doing right now.
But if this is what most people wanted and cared about, Reddit and Twitter would long be dead and the Fediverse big and thriving.
I appreciate the insight, but I’m not asking most people, and most people aren’t asking. I’m asking for us.
What do we do and where do we go?
If they want to live in advertising hell, so be it. There was a time that people had to be convinced to pay for internet. We can do it again. I don’t have the skills to design it, but if I see it, I can absolutely propagate it.
I personally think a lot of it starts with search.
A search engine that discards the SEO generated stuff by default. That discards web stores unless you are specifically looking for products to buy.
It’s terrible to say, but most internet is curated now by search engines and social media.
Then realize most internet content does not require engagement. We don’t need comment sections on everything. We don’t need a button to share (because you can always just copy the URL)
Then social media needs massive regulation, but for most people that’s going to be like getting someone off crack. They’ve made it addictive. Social media should be private by default but that almost defeats the purpose.
This might be the depressing answer, but: nothing.
Most people want a fun (=addictive), nice looking, free (=no cost to them), easy to use web.
And the current internet will always outperform the old one. Ads generate revenue and allow companies to fund development costs, hosting costs and optimize their page for search engines better than individuals.
You, personally, can use platforms that mimick the old web, just like you’re doing right now.
But if this is what most people wanted and cared about, Reddit and Twitter would long be dead and the Fediverse big and thriving.
I appreciate the insight, but I’m not asking most people, and most people aren’t asking. I’m asking for us.
What do we do and where do we go?
If they want to live in advertising hell, so be it. There was a time that people had to be convinced to pay for internet. We can do it again. I don’t have the skills to design it, but if I see it, I can absolutely propagate it.
So what do we do next?
I personally think a lot of it starts with search.
A search engine that discards the SEO generated stuff by default. That discards web stores unless you are specifically looking for products to buy.
It’s terrible to say, but most internet is curated now by search engines and social media.
Then realize most internet content does not require engagement. We don’t need comment sections on everything. We don’t need a button to share (because you can always just copy the URL)
Then social media needs massive regulation, but for most people that’s going to be like getting someone off crack. They’ve made it addictive. Social media should be private by default but that almost defeats the purpose.