The digital garden is an interesting idea, one I might adopt when I (hopefully soon) update my own internet home. One way I remember we used to come together before social media was webrings--do those still exist? Maybe they're due for a comeback! 😁
I, too, have been thinking about webrings a lot lately. It seems like it's time and why not introduce the kids obsessed with everything early aughts right now to yet another piece of culture from our time ::eyeroll::
oh I love this and feel so affirmed in how I choose to show up. It can feel easy to compare to more polished up, consistent, “loud” socials. I am always amazed at the beautiful leadership of quiet people taking up space and creating a new way of being in the world. Thank you for this piece. New subscriber 🌀💫
any recs for platforms/apps/software etc for doing this? i've been looking at milanote, but the monthly cost feels prohibitive. i have a substack, but im looking for something much more non-linear.
for digital gardening i happily use obsidian! have also experimented with sublime which has board capabilities like milanote, are.na, notion, and heard good things about capacities
so i had the same question and fell down a digital garden rabbithole only to discover that there’s not a lot of very good options for image based digital gardening (the existing platforms lean more towards archival which might still interest you so check out tropy). however, i did find an amazing masterlist of digital gardening tools on github that should help: https://github.com/MaggieAppleton/digital-gardeners
I am so excited to read more in this series. Interviews with artists who are quietly public?! Yes yes yes!
I love the idea of building a digital home separate from social media. I am realizing I had a very limited view of personal websites (they need to be professional, they need to be organized a certain way, portfolio, etc). Your writing is giving me permission to let go of those constraints.
This resonated with me so much. I’ve never really been able to find my place in the social media world, but I love the idea of carving out your own space on the internet and building your own world. I like the idea of inviting people in with intention and trusting that the right people will find my work, rather than contorting myself to try (in vain) to fit an algorithm. I love connecting with others but I want to find a way to do it that feels more like me. Thank you for this post, I’m looking forward to the rest of the series!
Loved this, of course. "I am a quiet person in real life. Why should I exist differently online?" was a very validating, lightbulb moment for me! Grateful to you for showing that quiet ways of digitally existing are possible :) I can't wait for this series to continue!
I love my digital garden so much! It's entirely private right now on Sublime, but I've had hidden pages on my personal website for years that I've wanted to populate with selections from the garden. It has just kind of felt pointless because everyone consumes the internet through their phones and social media. But reading this has kinda reminded me of all the things I loved about growing up online back in the day. Most importantly that it doesn't need to perform in any specific way. Loved reading this. Made me very nostalgic for 2000s internet <3
I personally don't think it should be taboo to not want to use social media and don't think it's an extreme view at all. Use what serves you. Internet and creativity is not a must. Having a local presence is also very special.
I love this! as I've been studying social media and online communities in grad school I've felt the inkling that many people are going to start moving towards decentralized ways of connecting with each other online. And I like this bc the concept of my face and voice being out there for someone to train an AI on is so freaky. I'm glad there are many links and other blogs to explore!
The digital garden is an interesting idea, one I might adopt when I (hopefully soon) update my own internet home. One way I remember we used to come together before social media was webrings--do those still exist? Maybe they're due for a comeback! 😁
yessss let's bring back webrings! i've parked the domain quietlypublic.com, would love to add a webring to it :)
chiming in as another vote for webrings.
I, too, have been thinking about webrings a lot lately. It seems like it's time and why not introduce the kids obsessed with everything early aughts right now to yet another piece of culture from our time ::eyeroll::
oh I love this and feel so affirmed in how I choose to show up. It can feel easy to compare to more polished up, consistent, “loud” socials. I am always amazed at the beautiful leadership of quiet people taking up space and creating a new way of being in the world. Thank you for this piece. New subscriber 🌀💫
any recs for platforms/apps/software etc for doing this? i've been looking at milanote, but the monthly cost feels prohibitive. i have a substack, but im looking for something much more non-linear.
for digital gardening i happily use obsidian! have also experimented with sublime which has board capabilities like milanote, are.na, notion, and heard good things about capacities
how easy do you find obsidian to create image heavy boards?
so i had the same question and fell down a digital garden rabbithole only to discover that there’s not a lot of very good options for image based digital gardening (the existing platforms lean more towards archival which might still interest you so check out tropy). however, i did find an amazing masterlist of digital gardening tools on github that should help: https://github.com/MaggieAppleton/digital-gardeners
Tropy is so cool!! TY for the share!
ofcourse! and thank YOU for reminding me about my wip digital garden that i’d forgotten about. i’ve been thinking about ways my art shows up on the internet alot and this piece was like a gentle balm for all of my algorithmic anxiety. loved it so much i’ve added it as a recommendation in my latest piece here: https://tejasvni.substack.com/p/art-making-vs-the-algorithm?r=hmjf4&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true
Wow thx!
^also interested in the answer to this!
i’m not sure if you get notified so just letting you know that i shared sumn in the reply to the previous comment. hope it helps (:
I am so excited to read more in this series. Interviews with artists who are quietly public?! Yes yes yes!
I love the idea of building a digital home separate from social media. I am realizing I had a very limited view of personal websites (they need to be professional, they need to be organized a certain way, portfolio, etc). Your writing is giving me permission to let go of those constraints.
oh i have been looking for someone who could say this well. thanks for being that person! here for it :)
This post found me at just the right moment. Thank you for putting it into words so optimistically!
great message! it reminds me of https://www.henrikkarlsson.xyz/p/search-query
This is suchhhh a good read Matt!! Thank you for sharing it!
This resonated with me so much. I’ve never really been able to find my place in the social media world, but I love the idea of carving out your own space on the internet and building your own world. I like the idea of inviting people in with intention and trusting that the right people will find my work, rather than contorting myself to try (in vain) to fit an algorithm. I love connecting with others but I want to find a way to do it that feels more like me. Thank you for this post, I’m looking forward to the rest of the series!
Loved this, of course. "I am a quiet person in real life. Why should I exist differently online?" was a very validating, lightbulb moment for me! Grateful to you for showing that quiet ways of digitally existing are possible :) I can't wait for this series to continue!
I love my digital garden so much! It's entirely private right now on Sublime, but I've had hidden pages on my personal website for years that I've wanted to populate with selections from the garden. It has just kind of felt pointless because everyone consumes the internet through their phones and social media. But reading this has kinda reminded me of all the things I loved about growing up online back in the day. Most importantly that it doesn't need to perform in any specific way. Loved reading this. Made me very nostalgic for 2000s internet <3
I liked this piece so much! See y’all on Neocities 😁
I personally don't think it should be taboo to not want to use social media and don't think it's an extreme view at all. Use what serves you. Internet and creativity is not a must. Having a local presence is also very special.
For what it's worth, I found you while you were being quiet :) I think the right people will find you.
THIS!!! Thank you for naming and validating the experience so many of us have!!
this mind map is a blast
I love this! as I've been studying social media and online communities in grad school I've felt the inkling that many people are going to start moving towards decentralized ways of connecting with each other online. And I like this bc the concept of my face and voice being out there for someone to train an AI on is so freaky. I'm glad there are many links and other blogs to explore!