The change is subtle, but revolutionary. People are increasingly eager to gain more control over their content and distribution channels, and static websites are providing many a cost-efficient way of doing that, even if it’s not very efficient to build them.
Instead of relying on cloud-based web builders and content management systems such as Wordpress to create dynamic websites, some tech-savvy users are building websites that do not require databases. These are simple pages generated by programs (or frameworks) such as Hugo, Astro and Gatsby to build these websites. This website, for example, was built using the Astro framework.
Right now, the “revolution” is at very early stages and the barrier to entry is high. Building a static website is pretty geeky stuff, mostly popular with folks who know some coding and are tech-savvy. But there will be a time when someone or a corporation will find a way to make it easy for non-developers to build these websites and host them. Then, we will see lift off!
Like I said, it isn’t easy to build one now. But developers are happy to go the extra mile to gain more control and freedom. It also helps that a static website is low cost. One can host a simple website free on Netlify and just pay US$10-20 a year for the domain name.
This movement is more obvious in the social media space with the rise of Mastodon, sparked by the Twitter’s recent meltdown after Elon Musk’s takeover. Mastodon is part of the “Fediverse”, which is made up of thousands if not millions of independent, interconnected servers. These “instances” publish and distribute files such as posts, images and videos and communicate with each other via a decentralized social networking protocol called ActivityPub.
Lately, with Twitter melting down into chaos, the Fediverse concept is gaining traction. Major players such as Mastodon, a free and open-source software and microblogging network, are gaining millions of users, sometimes overnight. But will the move from massive centralised platforms like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram catch on fire or halt and remain the domain of tech-savvy users? We can only see.
I believe we’ve reached a crossroads of sorts in the social media/Internet space. What I call the “fed up” point - users want alternatives. They want more control over their data. They want more control of what they read/see. They want freedom to create spaces that can reach their readers better. They want to remove middlemen.
I really believe that in time, new technologies will spring up to cater to this desire.
From massive public media platforms to a decentralised “Fediverse”.
Imagine that!
I wonder how the media, advertising, marketing and PR industries will adapt to this decentralised field? Or will these private spaces have little impact?