I love the idea of the Indie Web. When I first began writing this blog last year, I had made a post about how much I missed the “old internet” before it was taken over by venture capitalists. Even Facebook, Instagram, and Reddit were good ideas at first, but their tactics have made them into a challenge to overcome rather than a social space.
The Indie Web terminology for sites like these are a “silo.” Rather than engage closely with the web as a network, they are closed spaces that draw in users. It is only possible to participate in discussions if you are already a user on the site (good luck being seen if you try to write about them from outside). Moreover, their linking tactics privilege content that is already on the website. On LinkedIn, for example, the algorithm privileges blog entries and posts that are written for the site, rather than links to pages outside of it. Facebook has also captured a great deal of engagement through the creation of groups.
Unfortunately, these websites sell your data and turn you into a product. They are better understood as advertisers than as social media platforms.