Web 1.0 was really something special. There was no getting lost in endless algorithms. No death scrolling. No overhype. (Ok maybe a little hype.)
For the most part, when someone had something meaningful to say, they put it online. If someone found it, great. And many times, they would. But if not, that was fine too. Sometimes an idea took off months or even years after it was originally penned.
Web 2.0 introduced a powerful interconnectedness on the Internet. New forms of interaction and discovery were possible. The social graph was taking shape, and connections between people formed how content was found.
What has resulted is widespread gamification—a world where the most interesting headline wins, instead of the best ideas. I’m a marketer, so I understand the need for a good headline. But sometimes you’re not gunning for catchy titles and a marketing result. Sometimes you just want to express your ideas and give value to other people without feeling like you have to trick them into reading your stuff.
What happened to those days?
Some say they are long gone. But more and more I watch exhausted creators long for the days when sharing their ideas did not amount to a content rat race or hamster wheel. It was just… sharing their ideas and letting the chips fall where they may.
So much more peaceful. I think we will see a return to those days. I have something up my sleeve that might accelerate that return. We will see what I do with this idea, if anything. For now I am going to think about it. But there’s a path forward—or should I say, backward—here. I think we should strive to find it.