How To Start Blogging (the not simple edition)
I have been on a side quest to figure out how I want to write on the Internet, and this is what I have learnt so far.
A blog is not immaterial
A blog is a website, which is bunch of code living on computer networks. While it seems like it only exists on a virtual space that we can see but cannot touch, websites require physical resources. And massive amounts of it.
This is what we call the material and energy footprint of the Internet.
To learn more about the resources a website requires to be created and accessed, I recommend a publication called Low-Tech Magazine. Other than being super cool for running their website on an old computer and using solar power, they have written an article that details why the Internet is getting more energy hungry and what we can do about it.
This is worrying! Despite the talk about transitioning away from fossil fuels to renewable or clean energy sources, fossil fuel consumption is STILL increasing. It is an energy addition instead of an energy transition!
Yes, data centres are increasingly powered by renewable energy, but data storage and transmission still requires raw materials. The Internet requires physical infrastructure, including data centres, networks, and terminal devices (e.g. your smartphones). This infrastructure is built from resources taken from the Earth.
Can we take from the Earth sustainably? Yes! Yet, we don't do so currently.
Of course, the land can support the flow of resources, where:
- The resources extracted can be regenerated through natural earth systems processes, and
- The waste generated can be returned back by the land.
This is called the carrying capacity of the land.
Currently, we are living as if we have 1.6 Earths. We are wildly overshooting what we can take sustainably from the Earth.
Even more shockingly, Singapore is taking more than 5 times over the capacity of what we can consume per capita to live sustainably on this Earth.
54.9%.
That is what digital content consumption (of which blogs are a subset) contributes to the per capita carrying capacity for mineral and metal use. It also contributes to more than half of the remaining carbon budget we have to limit warming to below 1.5°C.
Can we afford to carelessly use the Internet if it contributes to extraction from the land?
A blog can be complicit in harmful flows of societal power
Other than the material unsustainability of the internet, we have to consider the democratic usage of the internet. Are mega-corporations solely deciding how value is being extracted and distributed? Who gets to participate in the provision and utilisation of the internet and its services? Where is the profit going to? Who deals with the 'externalities' of the Internet?
When corporations hold too much power, they can act nefariously. An example is them selling our data to other corporations, which exacerbates the power asymmetry in favour of capital owners. Ever wondered how the algorithms just seem to know what ad to push to us?
Even with free and open-sourced software which should resist shareholders primacy, issues can arise from poor governance. Recently, there has been a dispute between the founder of WordPress and WP Engine. This post on X will explain it better than I ever could. Now, the WordPress community is trying for push for a better governance of the project and ecosystem surrounding it.
To learn more, I recommend these two posts by ThePrivacyDad and Luke's Notes.
How can we take back power from these extractive corporations and redistribute value to the users?
I have the 'bandwidth'1 to ponder such questions. How can I write on the Internet in a way that is more attuned to the crisis of today?
Why I chose Bear Blog
To preface my thought process, I have to admit that I am not trained in web development. All these choices are based on a layperson understanding of information gleaned from the Internet.
Reducing energy use
First, I needed a platform which produces static sites. A static site can reduce energy use as there is less processing needed to serve the website to readers. It also has a site benefit of fast page speed.
Using static sites also meant I mainly needed to care about two components of the website: the hosting and the front-end. A web host gives the website a home on the Internet. The front-end includes everything a reader of the website interacts with, mainly the design and content.
I could just learn the front-end languages of HTML, CSS, and Javascript, build a front-end, and host it on something like GitHub Pages or Netlify. Honestly, the thought of writing blog posts in HTML scares me though.
I could also use a static site generator like Hugo, which converts content files to HTML, CSS and Javascript. I did try messing around with this option and I realised that it was too technical for me to manage on my own.
I could use WordPress as my content management system together with something like HardyPress or Simply Static, though both options are not cheap.
In this aspect, Bear Blog is perfect. It produces static sites (unless I embed something in it). It also functions well as a content management system to make it easy for me to write my posts in Markdown and publish them. I don't have to mess with hosting. It allows me freedom to modify the CSS so I can style the website to my liking and apply sustainable web design principles.
Personally, the simplicity of Bear Blog create constraints that allows me to be creative and more intentional in using it. No drag-and-drop web builder means I have to be more aware of what design features really matter to me.
Better ownership and governance
I wanted a platform which was not funded or owned by private equity, especially venture capital, or public equity. I really really really didn't want my money to flow directly into the coffers of these value extracting monsters.
I also wanted a platform with a privacy focus, to ensure my data and content is less likely to be misused.
Bear Blog does amazingly well in these aspects. It is made and run by Herman as an indie developer. His approach to his work runs absolutely contrary to the alienation that most workers experience from labour. This is something I can get behind.
Some people may worry about small indie platforms not being financially sustainable, and having to transition to another platform when the one they are using ceases to exist. Worry a little less now! Herman has written about the longevity of the platform and plans he has put in place in case he cannot take care of it anymore.
Bear Blog is very reasonably priced, especially compared to the alternatives. But what stands out is their implementation of pricing according to Purchasing Power Parity. This allows it to be more financially accessible.
Bear Blog is not perfect
In the end, it is challenging to escape the clutches of Big Tech. Bearblog is hosted on Heroku, which is currently owned by Salesforce. Heroku also uses Amazon Web Services, though I suspect it is quite challenging to be removed from AWS.
Herman uses Django, which is a Python framework. The Internet says that Python is one of the more unsustainable programming language. I don't have the technical expertise to evaluate this point against the benefits of using Django in this particular use case. Perhaps, one of you could help me with this?
I have to admit, I am making broad strokes in evaluating these options. If there is something I am missing out, please feel free to tell me about it!
What other options are there?
Other than Bear Blog, you could consider some of the options that I have tried before. There are quite a few static site generators out there. A headless WordPress is also an option.
You can just use WordPress and slap on a more sustainable theme such as the one by Nick Lewis.
There are many other blogging platforms out there too. Check out this compilation by Manuel Moreale and you might find something suitable for you!
If you like to develop your own website or have someone help you with it, you can consider Osuny as the content management system.
I should be updating this section as I discover other possibilities.
Learning more
If you are curious about the environment impact of digital technologies, do check out this MOOC.
If you are looking at alternatives to big tech, these sites are pretty great:
You can also participate in the Digital Collage. I am a facilitator for this collage, so feel free to reach out to me if you would you like to arrange a session for you and your friends. Otherwise, the local chapter will organise workshops every so often and you can see the schedule here.
What does this have to do with health?
With an intentful practice of health, attunement to the flows of material and energy, and the power structures surrounding it, can help us move differently in the environment that we are situated within.
It is also good practice to notice the different ways of which health is not just of the individual or the body, but also the of the living systems we are a part of.
Can we really partake in modern 'health practices' that are complicit in the harm of others? Can we look at health beyond just individual responsibility but also the wider context that allows one to practice health with ease?
Let us be curious about the norms we grew into and create spaciousness to practice living differently.
I know... I'm giving a machine related metaphor.↩