https://manuelmoreale.com/on-the-state-of-the-web On the state of the web It's almost 10 pm on a Sunday, I just finished working on a client project while listening to a podcast where among the many things discussed there was the apparently impending implosion of the web because people are using AI to generate an inordinate amount of valueless content and putting out there for reasons unknown. Actually, the reasons are known and it's to capture traffic, slap ads everywhere, and generate money. A tale as old as the web itself. The web is going through a weird phase. Twitter is allegedly DDoS-ing itself. Reddit is at war with its users and destroying communities in the process. Google search is spiraling down with results that are more and more useless. Amazon is a landfill full of crappy counterfeit products. To make things worse, it looks like money is no longer growing on trees and many, many companies are now facing the wild reality that if you run a business, you should, hopefully, at some point, make more money than you're spending to run your business. Crazy stuff, I know. Who would have thought. And so now we're seeing services turning to aggressive monetization because it turns out that we can't just have an entire world of sites and services all available for free with just a few ads slapped on top of them. I don't know what's going to come out of this moment but I do hope more people realize that human connections are still available out there. You can still set up your tiny quiet corner on the web, do your own things, and connect slowly with other people. You can still set up a forum dedicated to something you're passionate about and create a community with 50 other people, even if Reddit turns to shit. Things can live on the web simply because enough people care about them and pour time and love into them. And that is what makes the web special. Where do you go from here? Follow via RSS or Email. Thoughts? Comments? Feeling lonely? Want me as your first reader? Get in touch. Sometimes I send a newsletter from the top of a mountain. July's Thoughts On the state of the web --------------------------------------------------------------------- 2nd View All Thoughts 2023June A moment with things not going as planned --------------------------------------------------------------------- 30th Clients and budgets --------------------------------------------------------------------- 28th AI will not replace you --------------------------------------------------------------------- 16th A moment with a cloudy sky --------------------------------------------------------------------- 13th Small communities are the best communities --------------------------------------------------------------------- 1st May A moment thinking about decisions --------------------------------------------------------------------- 28th Answering machines --------------------------------------------------------------------- 26th I'm taking over Minimalissimo... --------------------------------------------------------------------- 22nd Spotify and the bullshit podcast ads situation --------------------------------------------------------------------- 18th Focus --------------------------------------------------------------------- 14th Poking around my server logs --------------------------------------------------------------------- 10th Financial transparency --------------------------------------------------------------------- 9th Digital simplicity --------------------------------------------------------------------- 6th My verified online presence --------------------------------------------------------------------- 5th April A moment with my crazy dog --------------------------------------------------------------------- 28th Usernames roulette --------------------------------------------------------------------- 26th Criticising is the easy part --------------------------------------------------------------------- 21st I hate internal linking --------------------------------------------------------------------- 19th Incentives and motivations --------------------------------------------------------------------- 13th A note on Substack --------------------------------------------------------------------- 12th Writing about writing --------------------------------------------------------------------- 10th 10000 URLs --------------------------------------------------------------------- 9th Let people contact you --------------------------------------------------------------------- 6th RSS excerpts --------------------------------------------------------------------- 5th March Sysadmin --------------------------------------------------------------------- 28th Verified human --------------------------------------------------------------------- 24th Writing voice and beginner's mind --------------------------------------------------------------------- 22nd Bandwidth consumption --------------------------------------------------------------------- 20th Thoughts on an unpolished note --------------------------------------------------------------------- 18th A personal blog doesn't need a homepage --------------------------------------------------------------------- 17th A rant on web font licenses --------------------------------------------------------------------- 10th Minimum viable blog --------------------------------------------------------------------- 9th Monetising online content --------------------------------------------------------------------- 7th I'll read it --------------------------------------------------------------------- 4th Website complexities --------------------------------------------------------------------- 2nd A moment on yet another lake --------------------------------------------------------------------- 1st February Human curation --------------------------------------------------------------------- 16th How much is a friendship worth? --------------------------------------------------------------------- 14th A moment with a not-so-distant past --------------------------------------------------------------------- 13th Good enough --------------------------------------------------------------------- 9th Consumismo ed integrita morale --------------------------------------------------------------------- 8th Great software is timeless --------------------------------------------------------------------- 5th January A moment with sand and waves --------------------------------------------------------------------- 30th A less artificial future --------------------------------------------------------------------- 27th Shared understanding --------------------------------------------------------------------- 23rd Unsolicited blogging advice --------------------------------------------------------------------- 17th A moment in Italy's green heart --------------------------------------------------------------------- 14th Quitting --------------------------------------------------------------------- 7th RSS feeds for everyone --------------------------------------------------------------------- 6th Money is one of the reasons why today's internet fucking sucks --------------------------------------------------------------------- 5th A moment of sleepiness --------------------------------------------------------------------- 2nd 2022December How to start a successful blog in 2023 --------------------------------------------------------------------- 26th End of year book review --------------------------------------------------------------------- 21st Free speech absolutism vs the real world --------------------------------------------------------------------- 19th Quirky search engine --------------------------------------------------------------------- 18th On the current decentralisation movement --------------------------------------------------------------------- 16th To the moon --------------------------------------------------------------------- 13th Another year of living without --------------------------------------------------------------------- 11th On public email addresses --------------------------------------------------------------------- 7th How to consume the news --------------------------------------------------------------------- 4th A quick word on scrolljacking and new tab fuckery --------------------------------------------------------------------- 1st November A moment with real and fake birds --------------------------------------------------------------------- 21st On internet silos --------------------------------------------------------------------- 8th A moment of clouds and light --------------------------------------------------------------------- 4th Letting go --------------------------------------------------------------------- 1st October On the struggles of the mind --------------------------------------------------------------------- 30th My attempt to answer the question "What is too minimal?" --------------------------------------------------------------------- 21st A moment of sunlight after the rain --------------------------------------------------------------------- 3rd September Who owns a conversation? --------------------------------------------------------------------- 30th Selfishness --------------------------------------------------------------------- 14th The web is failing us --------------------------------------------------------------------- 12th A moment of urban patience --------------------------------------------------------------------- 11th #Shorts --------------------------------------------------------------------- 9th UHX --------------------------------------------------------------------- 8th August Passionless Web --------------------------------------------------------------------- 16th A moment contemplating the mountains --------------------------------------------------------------------- 13th Selflessness --------------------------------------------------------------------- 9th On becoming a better designer --------------------------------------------------------------------- 8th Loneliness --------------------------------------------------------------------- 7th July A few thoughts on RSS --------------------------------------------------------------------- 28th A moment of glowing light --------------------------------------------------------------------- 27th Algorithmic nonsense --------------------------------------------------------------------- 26th Production Values --------------------------------------------------------------------- 24th June What is worth filling your mind with? --------------------------------------------------------------------- 29th May Portfolio, Projects and Posts --------------------------------------------------------------------- 11th Links and webrings --------------------------------------------------------------------- 5th A moment reflecting on the past --------------------------------------------------------------------- 2nd April Communities and free speech --------------------------------------------------------------------- 27th On Web 3.0, capitalism and money --------------------------------------------------------------------- 11th Honest Design --------------------------------------------------------------------- 6th February Spectrums --------------------------------------------------------------------- 18th On owning your content, complexity, platforms, elitism and a bunch of other related topics --------------------------------------------------------------------- 16th Endless everything --------------------------------------------------------------------- 6th January A moment on the lake --------------------------------------------------------------------- 10th The new year's post --------------------------------------------------------------------- 1st 2021November On finding reasons --------------------------------------------------------------------- 22nd On life --------------------------------------------------------------------- 4th October Humans and tech companies --------------------------------------------------------------------- 25th A somewhat depressing realisation --------------------------------------------------------------------- 20th The creativity ark --------------------------------------------------------------------- 17th Phones and Social Media --------------------------------------------------------------------- 10th Thoughts on social media --------------------------------------------------------------------- 6th September On Words and Definitions --------------------------------------------------------------------- 29th Six Seven Eight --------------------------------------------------------------------- 27th Crunching some numbers --------------------------------------------------------------------- 25th Can I ask you a favour? --------------------------------------------------------------------- 20th On September the 19th --------------------------------------------------------------------- 19th Social media and social groups --------------------------------------------------------------------- 17th Social platforms --------------------------------------------------------------------- 11th On the indie web... again --------------------------------------------------------------------- 6th Thoughts on UX --------------------------------------------------------------------- 4th August On the indie web --------------------------------------------------------------------- 30th Thoughts on communities --------------------------------------------------------------------- 25th Sharing rules --------------------------------------------------------------------- 21st Mistakes and doubts --------------------------------------------------------------------- 20th On audience capture and fast food content --------------------------------------------------------------------- 10th 10 years --------------------------------------------------------------------- 5th An update on side projects --------------------------------------------------------------------- 4th July A moment with old and new --------------------------------------------------------------------- 19th On photographs --------------------------------------------------------------------- 14th Adoption Sponsorships --------------------------------------------------------------------- 5th On discovery and consumption --------------------------------------------------------------------- 2nd June The internet is not broken. People are. --------------------------------------------------------------------- 30th Sharing is caring --------------------------------------------------------------------- 28th On reading books --------------------------------------------------------------------- 26th Motivations --------------------------------------------------------------------- 20th Online Conversations --------------------------------------------------------------------- 8th Asynchronous conversations --------------------------------------------------------------------- 6th May What even is a website anyway? --------------------------------------------------------------------- 27th Scaling Up Kindness --------------------------------------------------------------------- 21st What I learned by being #1 on PH and reaching HN front page --------------------------------------------------------------------- 20th The shape of digital interactions --------------------------------------------------------------------- 17th A moment of solitude on the mountains --------------------------------------------------------------------- 12th Should I care about this? --------------------------------------------------------------------- 4th April Something about the evolution of the web --------------------------------------------------------------------- 21st March Inspiration overload --------------------------------------------------------------------- 23rd Greed is ruining the web --------------------------------------------------------------------- 21st My love/hate relationship with the web --------------------------------------------------------------------- 19th February A moment with sun and hot tea --------------------------------------------------------------------- 19th Responsibilities --------------------------------------------------------------------- 2nd January The curse of the perfect tool --------------------------------------------------------------------- 22nd Thoughts on newsletters --------------------------------------------------------------------- 20th 2020December We wrote a little something --------------------------------------------------------------------- 24th November On November the 18th --------------------------------------------------------------------- 18th Since Google asked... --------------------------------------------------------------------- 17th Containers --------------------------------------------------------------------- 15th On monetary support --------------------------------------------------------------------- 4th A moment with mountains and clouds --------------------------------------------------------------------- 1st October A moment on the trenches --------------------------------------------------------------------- 31st Let's play the internet game --------------------------------------------------------------------- 31st Not a success story --------------------------------------------------------------------- 30th A moment with my brother --------------------------------------------------------------------- 29th A moment on the border --------------------------------------------------------------------- 25th September Words --------------------------------------------------------------------- 15th A moment on the mountains --------------------------------------------------------------------- 13th A moment with myself up on the mountains --------------------------------------------------------------------- 13th Blogrolls and Links --------------------------------------------------------------------- 10th A moment with a clear sky and a sunset --------------------------------------------------------------------- 8th Manufactured Authenticity --------------------------------------------------------------------- 7th August Self reflection --------------------------------------------------------------------- 14th On August the 9th --------------------------------------------------------------------- 9th July Friends' Projects --------------------------------------------------------------------- 29th On July the 27th --------------------------------------------------------------------- 27th On side projects, money, motivations and human connections --------------------------------------------------------------------- 17th Welcome to Manu's website --------------------------------------------------------------------- 14th My internet has no comments --------------------------------------------------------------------- 12th How to start a blog --------------------------------------------------------------------- 5th June Domain Squatters --------------------------------------------------------------------- 30th On Value --------------------------------------------------------------------- 29th The reachability illusion --------------------------------------------------------------------- 17th On Web Responsibilities --------------------------------------------------------------------- 15th On Random Interactions: Part Two --------------------------------------------------------------------- 12th A quick update on browsers --------------------------------------------------------------------- 11th May On Random Interactions --------------------------------------------------------------------- 20th On Clutter, Noise, Abundance and Less --------------------------------------------------------------------- 18th On Websites --------------------------------------------------------------------- 8th The May Update --------------------------------------------------------------------- 4th April On burning out, breaking the law, disappearing and cabin fever --------------------------------------------------------------------- 22nd My new portfolio --------------------------------------------------------------------- 6th March Stories --------------------------------------------------------------------- 29th Bits and Bytes of Humanity --------------------------------------------------------------------- 25th Subscriptions --------------------------------------------------------------------- 9th For the people who are listening... --------------------------------------------------------------------- 5th February Meandering Rivers --------------------------------------------------------------------- 24th Web Responsibilities --------------------------------------------------------------------- 20th Smallness --------------------------------------------------------------------- 17th My weird phone setup, two years later --------------------------------------------------------------------- 14th Why I hate money --------------------------------------------------------------------- 13th A moment on a familiar peak --------------------------------------------------------------------- 5th Workspace --------------------------------------------------------------------- 3rd Kind Words --------------------------------------------------------------------- 2nd January Discoverability --------------------------------------------------------------------- 26th Simple solutions --------------------------------------------------------------------- 19th Faceless relationships --------------------------------------------------------------------- 10th I don't know how to browse the internet anymore --------------------------------------------------------------------- 4th Moments In Time --------------------------------------------------------------------- 1st 2019December Fashion time --------------------------------------------------------------------- 31st Here we go again --------------------------------------------------------------------- 17th November Trust --------------------------------------------------------------------- 24th Closing thoughts: Living a simple life is not easy --------------------------------------------------------------------- 22nd Chapter 5: Objects are not everything --------------------------------------------------------------------- 20th Chapter 4: Digital and Physical --------------------------------------------------------------------- 19th Chapter 3: Function over Form --------------------------------------------------------------------- 18th Chapter 2: Design doesn't matter --------------------------------------------------------------------- 14th Chapter 1: The Mindset --------------------------------------------------------------------- 13th Introduction: What Minimalism is and is not --------------------------------------------------------------------- 12th Manu's guide to minimalism --------------------------------------------------------------------- 9th October Cento --------------------------------------------------------------------- 31st Knowing yourself --------------------------------------------------------------------- 22nd Confidence --------------------------------------------------------------------- 20th Meditations --------------------------------------------------------------------- 15th Websites and complexity --------------------------------------------------------------------- 14th Smart Technology --------------------------------------------------------------------- 13th What makes you happy? --------------------------------------------------------------------- 12th Human debugging --------------------------------------------------------------------- 9th Leaving a mark --------------------------------------------------------------------- 6th Ups and downs --------------------------------------------------------------------- 1st August Setups --------------------------------------------------------------------- 26th Minimal Technology --------------------------------------------------------------------- 20th Quitting social media --------------------------------------------------------------------- 16th Minimalism and Technology --------------------------------------------------------------------- 13th A Short Hike --------------------------------------------------------------------- 11th Understated design --------------------------------------------------------------------- 8th July A simple browser --------------------------------------------------------------------- 7th May Mental Space --------------------------------------------------------------------- 15th Writing, Hiking and Sharing --------------------------------------------------------------------- 6th I want my phone to be a washing machine --------------------------------------------------------------------- 2nd April Life, money, work, and a bunch of other things --------------------------------------------------------------------- 30th Low tech solutions --------------------------------------------------------------------- 15th March What does minimalism sound like? --------------------------------------------------------------------- 28th Digital and Work Setup --------------------------------------------------------------------- 8th Minimalism Life --------------------------------------------------------------------- 5th February Time --------------------------------------------------------------------- 22nd Hello fellow human being --------------------------------------------------------------------- 5th January Technology of thoughts --------------------------------------------------------------------- 21st Addition by subtraction --------------------------------------------------------------------- 20th Problems and solutions --------------------------------------------------------------------- 10th Digital Hermit --------------------------------------------------------------------- 5th 2018December Walking --------------------------------------------------------------------- 11th November A bit of this, a bit of that --------------------------------------------------------------------- 26th Lists are hard --------------------------------------------------------------------- 11th Blogs --------------------------------------------------------------------- 7th Why I stopped using feeds --------------------------------------------------------------------- 1st October The rhythm of digital life --------------------------------------------------------------------- 9th Seven --------------------------------------------------------------------- 8th Let's talk Minimalism --------------------------------------------------------------------- 7th September Timeless design --------------------------------------------------------------------- 9th Another iPhone post --------------------------------------------------------------------- 8th A moment with the sunset and some puddles --------------------------------------------------------------------- 1st August Do not disturb --------------------------------------------------------------------- 30th Ignore the numbers --------------------------------------------------------------------- 19th Why I love emails --------------------------------------------------------------------- 14th Quiet web --------------------------------------------------------------------- 13th July A minimal browser --------------------------------------------------------------------- 29th The curation issue --------------------------------------------------------------------- 25th Online authenticity --------------------------------------------------------------------- 23rd There are people on the other side --------------------------------------------------------------------- 9th Who are you? --------------------------------------------------------------------- 7th Typography and spacing in CSS --------------------------------------------------------------------- 6th History of my personal website --------------------------------------------------------------------- 5th Watching The World Cup --------------------------------------------------------------------- 4th Mnmlqts --------------------------------------------------------------------- 2nd June Mnmllist --------------------------------------------------------------------- 21st Minimalissimo Shop --------------------------------------------------------------------- 14th Be deliberate --------------------------------------------------------------------- 11th A reflection on digital publications --------------------------------------------------------------------- 10th TTRO --------------------------------------------------------------------- 10th Things To Read Online --------------------------------------------------------------------- 6th My "Water May" --------------------------------------------------------------------- 3rd May "Not so quick" update --------------------------------------------------------------------- 16th The usefulness of preferences --------------------------------------------------------------------- 11th My April without surfing the internet --------------------------------------------------------------------- 5th April My March with no sweets, cookies and cakes --------------------------------------------------------------------- 1st March Alessandro Scarpellini --------------------------------------------------------------------- 28th Portfolios --------------------------------------------------------------------- 22nd My weird phone setup --------------------------------------------------------------------- 18th A minimal email client --------------------------------------------------------------------- 13th My February without music and podcasts --------------------------------------------------------------------- 1st February This is it --------------------------------------------------------------------- 15th A January with no computer before lunch --------------------------------------------------------------------- 3rd January Numbers and stats --------------------------------------------------------------------- 31st Meditation as a design tool --------------------------------------------------------------------- 21st The Gallery - Version Six --------------------------------------------------------------------- 15th I own a smartphone --------------------------------------------------------------------- 3rd A December with no wifi --------------------------------------------------------------------- 1st 2017December Year in review, 2017 edition --------------------------------------------------------------------- 29th Opinions --------------------------------------------------------------------- 12th Personal brand is a stupid concept --------------------------------------------------------------------- 10th How to deal with iOS like a crazy person --------------------------------------------------------------------- 8th A November without digital entertainment --------------------------------------------------------------------- 1st November Being a "digital nomad" is overrated --------------------------------------------------------------------- 29th Designed Space --------------------------------------------------------------------- 20th Collaborations --------------------------------------------------------------------- 13th 6.04 --------------------------------------------------------------------- 6th An October without phone and tablet --------------------------------------------------------------------- 1st October Podcast Recommendations --------------------------------------------------------------------- 25th Have fun --------------------------------------------------------------------- 18th Money and Stress --------------------------------------------------------------------- 8th September A September without gaming --------------------------------------------------------------------- 30th What matters --------------------------------------------------------------------- 21st Declutter --------------------------------------------------------------------- 17th On tools and crafts --------------------------------------------------------------------- 8th My year of living without --------------------------------------------------------------------- 7th Way too many side projects --------------------------------------------------------------------- 6th Looking for something to read? --------------------------------------------------------------------- 5th August The unappreciated value of silence --------------------------------------------------------------------- 16th Do I need this? --------------------------------------------------------------------- 15th July Minimalissimo --------------------------------------------------------------------- 20th March A moment with water and waterfalls --------------------------------------------------------------------- 19th February Winter is almost over --------------------------------------------------------------------- 26th Style and lifestyle --------------------------------------------------------------------- 19th Self questioning --------------------------------------------------------------------- 12th Deal with it --------------------------------------------------------------------- 5th January Obstacles --------------------------------------------------------------------- 28th Find something that works for you --------------------------------------------------------------------- 21st I hate you Winter --------------------------------------------------------------------- 14th So far so good. --------------------------------------------------------------------- 7th Habits. habits everywhere. --------------------------------------------------------------------- 1st - NowBlogsAbout -