I spent years building for other people.
Then I realized I wanted no part of it.
When you publish on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or Medium, you're stuck in their world. Their platforms.
More problematically, platforms optimize for engagement—which almost always means maximizing emotional reaction (outrage, comparison, FOMO) rather than reflection, depth, or nuance.
If you want to do serious creative work, meaningful writing, or authentic communication, these platforms are actively working against you.
IndieWeb is a set of simple technologies and practices that let you own your content and connections. The principles are:
- Own your content — Publish on your own domain
- Accept communication — Via Webmentions, RSS, etc.
- Participate in the open web — No silos
Just websites talking to other websites, the way the internet was supposed to work and can still work!
When I decided to build The Lounge, I made specific choices to stay independent:
Technology Stack
- 11ty (Node.js SSG) for static site generation. No database, no CMS, no backend services I don't control.
- SCSS for styling. No font CDNs I don't trust, no third-party tracking pixels.
- GitLab Pages for hosting. Free, integrated CI/CD, no vendor lock-in.
The entire site is generated as static HTML. It's fast, secure, and will run on a toaster.
JavaScript is a vector for tracking, abuse, and privacy violations. The Lounge uses zero third-party JS. Any client-side interactivity (fade-in animations, scroll effects) uses vanilla JS I control.
Instead of a comment system, I use Webmentions — a standardized way for people to reply from their own sites. No centralized moderation. No extraction of interaction data.
The site has an RSS feed. Subscribe, and you get new posts in your feed reader—no algorithm deciding what you see.
By going independent:
- Full control over design, content, and direction
- No surveillance of readers (no tracking, no analytics)
- Permanence — The Lounge will exist as long as I want it to, regardless of platform politics
- Authentic voice — No algorithm punishing nuance or rewarding outrage
- Digital autonomy — The skills to build and run infrastructure myself
- Philosophical alignment — My platform reflects my values
The Indie Web is Growing. You don't see it in mainstream media, because media companies benefit from platform concentration. But there's a thriving community of writers, artists, and thinkers rebuilding the open web.
Check out IndieWebify.me to learn the basics. Start a blog on your own domain. Add an RSS feed. Join the movement away from extractive platforms.
The internet doesn't have to be this way. We can build differently.
If you have thoughts, reply from your own site and send me a Webmention. I'd love to hear from you.