In “Basic HTML is the New Punk Folk Expansion”, Mandeville makes a solid case for reverting back to a time when the ‘internet’ was not Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter. Even more so, Mandeville advocates for not using these social media platforms as our launching pads for browsing the internet, wary of their bias and ulterior motives.
Content, in this earlier version of the internet was self-created and shared in “individual, unique, wonderful ways”. As much as this original content might not look sophisticated, Mandeville compellingly explains how they feel more authentic and human. Endearingly, there is something “folksy” or “punk” about going back to the basics and getting messy.
In terms of motivations, I appreciate the level of intentionality in Mandeville’s self-expression and how he urges others to do the same. There is a kind of self-contentment and comfort in the messiness of it all, that nonetheless we are carving our voices and images on the internet without automated filters and borders. With regards to Millenials and Gen-Z, it begs the question, will we know how to shape the internet, or will the internet shape us?