The indie web is here to make the internet weird again
- The indie web movement has begun, aiming to make the internet “weird again” by promoting alternative platforms and websites.
- The indie web movement started as a response to the decline of GeoCities, a free web hosting service that Yahoo shut down in 2009 (US) or 2019 (Japan).
- GeoCities was a platform where users could host personal HTML websites, ranging from pop culture shrines to educational pages.
- The indie web movement seeks to revive this spirit of DIY web creation and community-building, offering an alternative to mainstream platforms.
- To learn more about the indie web and its impact on internet culture, follow Stevie Bonifield’s newsletter or check out The Verge for more information.
This is The Stepback, a weekly newsletter breaking down one essential story from the tech world. For more on internet culture, follow Stevie Bonifield. The Stepback arrives in our subscribers’ inboxes at 8AM ET. Opt in for The Stepback here.
How it started
The indie web began a few years after the end of GeoCities, which Yahoo shut down in 2009 (at least, in the US – GeoCities Japan managed to hang on until 2019). GeoCities was a free web hosting service that launched in 1994 and once hosted millions of personal HTML websites, from pop culture shrines to teachers’ pages for their students (and truly everything in between).
When GeoCities …
Read the full story at The Verge.
Q. When did GeoCities shut down?
A. In 2009 (at least, in the US) and 2019 (in Japan).
Q. What was GeoCities?
A. A free web hosting service that launched in 1994.
Q. What kind of websites were hosted on GeoCities?
A. Millions of personal HTML websites, ranging from pop culture shrines to teachers’ pages for their students.
Q. Who shut down GeoCities?
A. Yahoo.
Q. When did the indie web begin?
A. A few years after GeoCities was shut down.
Q. What is The Stepback?
A. A weekly newsletter breaking down one essential story from the tech world.
Q. How can subscribers receive The Stepback?
A. By opting in for The Stepback here.
Q. Who is Stevie Bonifield?
A. A person who follows internet culture and provides more information on it.
Q. What time does The Stepback arrive in subscribers’ inboxes?
A. At 8AM ET.
Q. Where can readers read the full story about GeoCities?
A. On The Verge.