I made a comment on a blog post here at the end of last year (2021) about how I will always have a personal website and have had one since I was about 12. It's true. I don't ever see me not having one. The title may change, the content may change, and I might even splurge for a personal URL! But I'll always keep a space on the WWW for me.
I made a more general comment to some friends around the same time last year about how I thought personal websites were making a comeback. I was seeing people direct others to their personal website rather than their social media, even if it wasn't for business, at an increasing rate. Also, due to the political turmoil in the USA, I was also noticing people with large counts of followers - particularly those that communicated educational and/or commentary on news and politics - leaving social media all together and starting or relaunching their personal blogs and websites.
It's almost comical how I'm making this post right now after the blog post I made last week! I literally just made a commentary on why I blog, which is very similar and in line with the topic today!
The very first image of this blog post is a screenshot of a headline from yesterday that sparked a lot of controversy. Elon Musk now owns Twitter, a platform that has been free since the beginning of its time, but now if you want to be "verified" (aka, have that special blue check mark) you will have to pay $20/month. It was announced yesterday, but in less than 24 hours it's been dropped to $8/month, as you can see from the article just above this paragraph. I personally think the $12 difference is due to the huge backlash they have received since the announcement. Many well-known people on Twitter have threatened to leave the platform if this does happen, citing that they bring money to the platform and shouldn't have to pay.
I've never had a blue checkmark or any mark by my handle, so this doesn't effect me at all. To my knowledge, I've never had anyone impersonate me on social media either. This new fee is supposed to "weed out" bots and scammers. Along with the check mark, you will also get priority customer service, the ability to upload long videos and audio, and your tweets and account will show up in searches at a higher rate than those who do not pay. Perhaps the best benefit named so far is that paid users will see half the ads that non-paying users see. According to Mr.Musk, there are more details still to be revealed. Obviously, Twitter is advertising this as a solution to safety and spamming, as well as first class service to those who are "loyal".
Take it how you will. Leave or stay. No matter what, once this roles out, it will definitely change the platform. If celebrities and even news sources leave (i.e. The Guardian, NY Times, Washington Post), it will definitely become an influencer-based platform and that's not necessarily bad. The worst case scenario is that the platform dies like MySpace, but I just don't see them letting that happen. Only time will tell if the $8 monthly price tag really does affect people. When YouTube started to introduce ads a lot of people complained, but it didn't kill the platform; if anything it allowed the vloggers and influencers to thrive and make enough money to live (and in some cases it was more than enough!). Potentially, this could be the direction Twitter is going. It's the same way Meta went and it's been working for them.
Okay, I've been a bit scattered with this post, but you're about to see me connect the dots here! I started out by stating the history of my personal journey and view on an individual having their own website, and followed it with the trend I've noticed since last year with people going back to this method of expression. - Next we moved onto Twitter and the backlash they're receiving over offering a paid subscription program.
What does all of this mean to me?
The internet has become a major source of communication for the majority of the world, whether we're sharing our opinions, expressing ourselves, sharing news and facts, or finding like-minded people. It's easy to use a pre-made layout on a platform ran by others, because there's very little maintenance the user has to do. The issue is that the user doesn't control that platform at all. They have no say about the changes and features it implements or takes away. You have all the control on your own website or blog and it's not going to be erased or changed unless you want it be. I understand that "spreading the word" and finding a broader or larger audience isn't easy to do without the promotion of popular social media platforms, but at the end of the day I see the value of taking the time to carve out your own medium and having your content displayed there; a place where no one else is going to come and make you start all over, accidentally delete your account or purposefully delete it (like we're seeing on Instagram right now), or prevent you from making that same content you've been successful with again. I've always had my own website and I always will, and with everything that I have witnessed in the last year, I think it's more important than ever for those who want to share and preserve their creations/work to do the same. Yes, it takes more time, but it also allows me to do what I want when I want to without fear of being "punished" or silenced or erased.