Digital Boundaries: Why I am Coding a Website in 2025
Published on May 8th 2025
Visited 55 times
People like to talk about 'digital detox' now: put your phone away, delete your social media accounts, swap your smart watch for analog, buy some DVDs, or maybe just read a fucking book. I''ve done all of these things, and still am drawn back to the endless 'doom' scroll. The truth is, in the modern era, being online is a nessecity. No matter how badly you might want to, you cannot go back to a 'before'. So, it''s not about eliminating the problem, but about setting healthy boundaries.
When I was a kid, technology used to excite me. I would spend hours upon hours exploring my computer, finding cool websites, and downloading different software to customize my experience. I used to enjoy finding the limits of what I could do with a computer. In that way, it was similar to playing a video game, and I was drawn to video games because they allowed me to explore, adventure and play - a medium without limits. The only limit was what you could do with a controller, and what the game's code would allow.
When smart phones first came out I thought “Wow! Coolest thing ever!” A computer in my pocket all the time? Hell yeah. I could play games, text and call my friends, I could even go on websites and install cool software! A dream come true… and it was, for a while. I don't remember when it changed, but I think it was slowly over the course of many years.
Technology now feels inescapable. I am no longer exploring or adventuring: I am trapped in it. It is no longer the comfortable, colorful landscape full of personality and creative expression. It feels more and more like the inside of a Walmart: an endless sea of grey and white, advertisements promoting consumerism everywhere. The internet is now a place full of large corporations trying their best to extract the newest valuable resource: your attention. I don't think it has to be this way though, that's one of the things that drove me to create this website.
I want to embrace technology again, but on my own terms. I want to use it intentionally, and put it away when I'm done. I do like to be connected, but sometimes I need to unplug, ya know? When I find myself scrolling mindlessly on the couch I like to ask "are you enjoying this?" and if the answer is yes then by all means, scroll. More often then not though, the answer is no. In which case, what could you be doing instead that you do enjoy? For me, building this website is a way to take back some control of my relationship with the technology that I feel I've lost, and distance myself from one I've become lost in. There are no rules here, it's just whatever I can make with my code. There are no bosses to report to, and no audience I am trying to impress. One day, I might decide to make the entire website this particular shade of pink and the font this particular shade of green. I probably won't, but knowing that I could is an incredible feeling. (Hover over the pink text if you are having a hard time reading it)
So, I encourage you to consider how you use technology in your life. If there's something you don't like, change it. If you're like me and you spend too many hours scrolling Facebook marketplace, maybe you can just uninstall the app and use Facebook on your laptop instead. By eliminating temptation, you take back some control. You set a boundary with the internet that says "I will be using this app only when I want to and in a way I prefer".