created 2026-05-25

2006, the small web, and why i made this site

i don't think i have to say much about the problems with the modern internet and the digital economy. many smarter, more elaborate people have covered this topic already.

around 2006, the internet was a collection of many small web pages, each centered around (usually) a single topic. gradually, this has been replaced by large megacorps (facebook, google, pinterest, yadda yadda) that have hoovered up all the content, locked it behind a sign-in screen, and fed it into an algorithm that rewards hate.

the things we get shown online are glossy and addicting, yet soulless. quick bursts of dopamine, just enough to keep you hooked. you find yourself scrolling for hours and being fed mindless slop, with little to show for it at the end of it all. how on earth did we get here?

anywayss, let's not be too depressing about it. you get the overall picture...

quietly, there seems to be a subculture building. a subculture that longs for, and believes in, a way back to how things were. a community of like-minded nerds just like me and you who believe in making the web small and personal again.

the small web rejects the idea of glossy, surface-level perfection you might see on instagram or tiktok. the small web philosiphy is to create something authentic, even if imperfect.

create something. *literally* anything. it doesn't have to be the very best of it's kind, not even close. it doesn't even need to be finished. just create something, and publish it. to create is to resist :)) (apparently this is a quote from the french resistance fighter and essayist Stéphane Hessel)

for my part, i've always sort of held the belief that if i can't make something perfect, i shouldn't make it at all. it's a part of my nature, and for the longest time this mindset has held me back from doing so many things.

that changes today. i'm publishing this shid, even if not a soul ever sees it :)

fun fact, the background colour of this page (lightcyan at the time of writing) is inspired from an old html page i made when i was like 10 years old and hosted on the free 000webhost (rip). it was super crappy and i wish i still had the source code for it, for nostalgia but also for the reasons mentioned in the post. 10-year old me had the right idea for sure.

credit to @trannus_aran for being the inspiration to create this site. i found ur page from Tanner's Guest Book and i was like hell yeah monospace personal site i can do that :))