to begin, I am no webmaster. I am far from the master of my site let alone the web. I'm more of a hack (not a hacker), a tinkerer, a jack of all trades kind of guy. I'm definately not a webdesigner either. I may design my webpages, but I don't get paid for it, and I sure as hell am not creating any bland corperate sites. I'm really just throwing shit at the wall and seeing what sticks.
This is no dig at anyone who calls themself a webmaster, I totally get wanting to use a term with connections to the old web, but i feel it does not describe me personally. Instead you can call me a webartist! Creation is at the core of my activities, and this site is just another one of my creations ^^ as such its as messy as my other projects. I vomit out all my ideas and then neaten them up afterwards (marginally). I've never been a neat organized notetaker, painter, or writer, and webcoding isnt any different.
as an artist who finds the process of creating to be soothing, i love that personal sites are a constant work in progress! I will always have something to tinker on, whether it be making a new page, adding to an old one, or changing an old one. the creation of a personal website is not a means to a finished product/project, but a part of the experience. It can be decades long process that grows with you which is wonderful. no one expects your site to be "finished" and many even look forward to seeing how it develops.
although a finished product is rarely the goal, personal websites are not without their rewarads that come with finishing something. struggling to get something to work with css or javscript, and finally figuring it out provides great satisfaction (i really love the trial and error of web design!!!). and of course finalizing a page or the css for a page also provides a sense of accomplishment.
if you are reading this and have not yet made your own personal site, i highly recommend it!!! its a very rewarding process. its ok if you dont have any ideas at first, overtime you will, and gradually your site will grow. I initially made my site to display two little webdesigns, and a year later it has grown so much!
a common theme on neocities is nostalgia for the old web and disdain for social media/phones. I have to say I don't feel this as strongly as many neocities users.
I do think its tragic modern social media greatly limits its users creativity, to a point that even on the remaining social media site you can vastly customize your blog (tumblr) many people chose not to. I never had a myspace, being too young and not having good internet, but i appreciate that it let its users customize their pages. nowdays users are stuck on white backgrounds, black if they use darkmode, with only emojis to express themselves.
given the state of facebook, instagram, pintrest, and tiktok, its clear that social media has just become a means for advertisers to profile the users and relentlessly advertise to them. and in an economey driven by likes, follows, and views, users create misleading content in order to attract attention. the accounts on instagram that post incoherent "facts" or useless 5 minute crafts/hacks disturb me by how many there are and the lack of human intention behind them.
i find the culture of many sites to be toxic as well. beauty culture and diet culture thrive on social media. im not even on tiktok and the amount of videos ive seen promoting plastic surgery and botox is astounding. the beauty market thrives on us hating ourselves and we are providing free advertisment for it. I also think social media has detatched us from our communities and hobbies. instead of spedning our free time developing our skills or participating in organizations, we scroll online. the lack of connection and personal acheivement inturn contribute to anxiety and depression
now i dont think social media is all bad! afterall it was created out of our desire to connect and form communities as humans. we can keep in touch with friends who are hundreds of miles away and thats wonderful! the old web was not without its faults either. it was far too easy as a kid to stumble upon beheading videos and graphic porn. not to mention toxicity towards women and minorities.
i find the disdain towards phones on here to be funny honestly. phones are just small computers to me. i dont like social media so i simply dont download the apps. tho i do hate how certain funtions or sites demand that you download the app to use their service, but this is not the fault of phones themselves. i have a shitty phone with minimal storage and its great. i like to see what my site looks like on my phone, as such ive designed all my pages to adjust to screen size :3
all in all i think neocities is a wonderful place, and I love seeing the creativity and niche interests lovingly detailed on peoples personal sites!