My name is Aly

Why join the indie web?

When I was a kid, I learned some of the basics of HTML and CSS by cobbling together different bits of code to customize my Neopets userlookup, shop, pet pages, and guilds. Immediately I fell in love with blending my digital art and web design to express myself. As I got older I found myself doing the same with Myspace until Facebook and Instagram became the default social media platforms. I played around with Weebly, Squarespace and I taught myself how to use Wordpress to build other websites but the constraints of modern web design killed the feeling of authorship and authenticity. This is when I learned about the indie web movement and rediscovered the joy of playing with html and css and designing graphics for hours.

Aly is

The spirit of the indie web reinvigorates my love for the internet. The current landscape of social media is deeply suffocating. It sands away the rough edges of our individual expression, streamlining our social interactions until it congeals into a shallow palatable mush that hijacks our nervous systems for the benefit of advertisers. Algorithims and endless scrolling a conveyor belt for mindless consumption. I hadn't realized I missed the slow pace of the old web. "Surfing" the web is such a delight when every page I happen upon is loving crafted and shared only for its own sake. Static websites are both accessible enough but opaque enough to require an intentionality absent on mainstream platforms. Building a site has allowed me to own my self expression in a way where I don't concern myself with a character count, whether it will generate engagement or if it will be seen by estranged family or employers. I feel a deep satisfaction knowing my energy online has been taken back for myself and not being used to line the pockets of those who engineer a machine to milk to bankrupt attention economy.

Blinkies, Badges, & Buttons

Here's my collection of blinkies, badges and buttons.
Credit linked when known, if you know a source please let me know!