My Internet Manifesto: We need more whimsy!!

A lot of people both on and off of Neocities have created their "manifesto" for a free, less toxic and more ethical Internet. "Manifesto" is a word from Italian that could be translated in English as "flyer". Manifesto"s" usually set the base for an artistical, poetic, or musical movement, but in this case, I am using this word to describe a sort of "recommendation" to internet users, a set of rules to help the Internet get its shit togheter, we could say.

Why is everything "soulless"?

"Soulless"is the word that everyone uses to describe the new Internet. It seems like everything lacks personality, or value. The answer to this question is fairly simple: everything feels granted. Nothing feels like it's made with effort: minimal layouts, boring UI, AI "content" and algorithms being a perfect yet dystopian example. This doesn't only apply to social media, but other stuff in general: the transition from boughts CDs to free streaming platforms with way too many ads, from great clothing design to shittier fabric and graphics that can be bought digitally (for a video on that check this video by More Perfect Union). This transition was made to "simplify" life, but has only made it easier to forget the value of certain things, which is why some Web Revival enthusiasts prefer to use CDs instead of streamed music. Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not a boomer who says "THE OLD TIMES WERE BETTER!11!!", I listen to streamed music too, but CD/cassette music does have a certain magic to it. I'll definetely talk about it either in the blog or on Youtube. The point is that we need to reconsider the value of things around us, and not take them for granted.

Whimsy: your personal magic

To gain value over the things that you love, you must first "embrace whimsy". "Whimsy" is a world fairly used in the Internet; it refers to general goofyness and a vibe of innocence and security, like the place you have is truly yours. It can be used on indie sites, but on social media too! It can help you stand out from the rest of the other accounts. Neocities sites are a perfect example: none of them are closely similar togheter and feel very unique. As for social media accounts, Mother is watching can be a good example of whimsy on socials ( I know, weirdcore is a widespread aesthetic, but the style of the channel is very in theme and has a very nice vibe to it and could count as whimsy ).Whimsy can take lots of forms: from narrated sites with a story accompaning each page to bright and messy colours, from cozy homes to creepy castles, from leafes scattered everywhere to stars everywhere(like my site basically LOL). if you want to make your site unique, add whimsy! Here's some tips:

• Stick to one theme: stars, planets, horror, plants, flowers, etc. Check a moodboard online to help you, or check out Cameron's world if you want some REAL retro stuff! (lots of gifs and archived sites)
• Choose a set of colours
• Choose how you want to write: as if it's an old book, a journal, a poem, etc.
• Choose your layout. Obviouslt making a complex layout is quite hard especially if you're new to HTML/CSS. Start with a reference/mockup of the result you want to reach. Don't be afraid to use free resources online (they're free for a reason!!), but avoid using an AI to write the full script. You can use it for very specific stuff you cannot find (which I doubt that could happen, online it's full of forums and stuff), but don't use it too much because it could make you fall in the took-for-granted trap (or worse, suck out the whimsy!!!)

Remnider that whimsy doesn't make you "cringe"

I'm writing this especially if your planning to add whimsy to you social media. Remember that having a good idea that stands out from the rest is gonna get you 99% chance of annoying comments from users who immediately classify your videos/photos/whatever as "cringe". We need to understand that some people will always be close-minded, however you must make a distinction between good-willed negative feedback and some random kid giving you insults for simply existing. If someone makes a good point to improve your whimsy, why not listen?

Whimsy is just a over-complicated and artsy way of saying "originality", or "aesthetic" if you will, come to think about it. Whatever you may call it, I feel like this is missing from the Internet. If you can get anything from this wall of text, is BE ORIGINAl!!!

Last notes

I know there are a lot of things I didn't mention here, like proper Internet etiquette, the dehumanization of relationships online, the bots and the trolls, but I thought those were already discussed a lot in other manifestos. However, I don't think they should be forgotten.

• People that use proper Internet etiquette have my utmost fucking respect. Being well-mannered outside and inside the Internet makes you a very mature person: not writing in caps, not writing anything harmful and acting as you would in the normal world.
• Relationships online are becoming more and more parasocial. We do not really know the person we are talking to, nor do internet celebrities know. My general advice is to not post something talking about someone else online.
• Trolling is not always bad, sure, they're annoying as heck, but it's just some edgy guy trying to cause arguments online. Usually it's best to block them so they stop annoying you.

-JulieYess!! (21/06/2025)