Nothing's Hip Forever
Being the author of an independent website is very hip nowadays. After all, what better way to bash your government, politics, or corporate anything, and generally be a rebellious part of Generation Y? Having said that, the initial conclusion is obvious: Every possible hip thing of the past is, well, not so hip anymore. The same will happen here. Generation Z, of say, green vocalists, will condemn our tech appetite, preaching how technology never solved anything "significant" or made our life "genuinely" better. The point is, after the craze is gone, people will start realizing that, actually, not everyone really needs to have a website.
Which is a good thing.
The people who continue publishing sites will be the ones who started doing it for better reasons than because it was hip. New authors will bring their own, fresh vision and, more importantly, substance. The future is unpredictable, but I strongly believe that the basic values that will drive these people will change very little, even if the form (the technology behind the presentation itself) changes dramatically. These critical values are:
- The desire for artistic expression.
- The desire to improve one's own skills (since writing code does not necessarily imply that art is being created, and some people are much better at coding than producing art).
- Altruism.
Most good independent websites are driven by one or more of the above values. And the best recognized and most popular sites of this kind are indeed a strong amalgam of all three, with their creators working very hard not only to develop their artistic vision and improve their craft, but also to offer an endless stream of daily updates for no other apparent reason but to make their readers happier, better educated, or better entertained.
In creating an independent website and producing its content, an author also learns more about himself. At times, a personal website can be all that's left to keep a person inspired and thirsting for new knowledge -- especially if he spends his days working on repetitive, corporate web projects.
Unfortunately, the nature of most future commercial projects for web artists and designers probably won't be as colorful as we would like it to be. There are only so many inspiring projects out there, and the vast majority of the work being requested is dictated by the strict, rooted and often boring corporate guidelines that just can't be changed. As the Internet matures as a medium, it's a safe bet that standardized layouts and content will be required even more than they are today. Having your own artistic playground, your own safe harbor, may prove vital in such an increasingly mind-numbing atmosphere. Personally, as long as I know that I have shared a part of my knowledge with others who may find it enjoyable, and as long as I can see how my small involvement in their lives somehow makes them feel better, I will know that my time has been well spent.
