Neocities, Indie Web, and the Freedom of Self-Expression

02 Feb, 2024

I stumbled upon Neocities more or less by accident. But I was likely looking for a platform that could fulfill my need for a creative community that isn’t completely part of the online mainstream and the dictatorship of big corporations. I don’t remember exactly how I found it, but I came across Neocities, which sounded quite familiar to me. And for good reason, as it turns out to be the successor to Geocities.

Surfin'

"Massive web corporations flush with stock market cash acquired startups for billions of dollars, like rich brats that wanted a cool new toy, but then quickly got tired of it and threw it away. And in the end, we lost a lot of great ideas, companies, and user content that would have otherwise prospered."
Neocities Blog

To translate: "In the past, large web corporations, fueled by stock market money, acquired startups for billions of dollars, like spoiled children who wanted a cool new toy but quickly grew tired of it and threw it away. And in the end, we lost many great ideas, companies, and user content that could have otherwise thrived."
This is what happened to Geocities. I had a website there, maybe even several. And not just there, but on similar services as well. That's how I first got into coding and started enjoying it.

The Nostalgia of Geocities

With the disappearance of Geocities and similar services – and with it, the end of the internet culture I loved – I personally felt a void. Later, I found joy in Tumblr and its community, but that too faded after Yahoo took over. When I finally heard about Neocities, I couldn’t resist. Currently, my only Neocities project is a small, personal website with no clear theme. But that’s okay. The beauty lies in the freedom. I plan to get a supporter account in the future to help sustain the platform.

Homer's Website

The true beauty of Neocities lies in its creative community, which mostly delights in the aesthetics of the old web. The immense variety of imaginative and unique websites is inspiring. It's amazing to see how people showcase their interests and passions, creating their very own space on the internet. This individuality is wonderful, and anyone can create and host their site for free and with simple tools – a great incentive to explore web design and development and gain basic knowledge in HTML and CSS.

Creative Freedom

To me, Neocities is part of the Indie Web, which stands for personal freedom, self-expression, and control over one’s own data. It’s about deciding for yourself what and how much you want to share, without compromise. The best way to achieve the freedom to design your content individually is with a self-built website on a web host, like this site, which runs via GitHub and Netlify. My Neocities site, on the other hand, is reserved for hobbies. What both sites have in common is that I retain control over my data – no algorithm, no pressure, just personal freedom.

The Impact of Platform Choice

The choice of platform has a huge impact on the content you publish. On platforms with full freedom of expression and design, you can present yourself as you like, without worrying about trends, algorithms, or comparisons. You can flourish freely without haters. The platform choice allows you to figure out what’s truly important, what you really want to share – without restrictions or judgments.

Old Web

The diversity and individuality of Neocities sites are inspiring and spark new ideas. Some might seem a bit quirky, but that’s part of the creative expression. In contrast, social media platforms like Facebook or Instagram feel uniform and cold. A personal website simply says more – your digital identity is (once again) your own.

"own your data, make what you need, use what you make"
(A core principle of the Indie Web)

Even content management systems (CMS) or website builders can’t quite compare. The templates are often mainstream and pleasing. The freedom to customize themes or even develop your own is limited. A small, static site like this one is faster and lighter by comparison. Personally, I find the countless plugins (I'm thinking specifically of WordPress) overwhelming for a personal site. Plus, they're again third-party plugins or extensions, and sometimes they don’t work well together, are no longer supported, or require updates and adjustments. For business websites, online magazines, and anything that requires a user database or content updates by less tech-savvy users, I think content management systems like WordPress are ideal.

In the world of Neocities and the Indie Web, there’s variety, freedom, and space for uncompromised creative expression. Here, you can be yourself without having to conform.