✧ ° HUMAN ANGEL'S DIGITAL HEAVEN ° ✧

FEATURED BLOG POST:

ABOUT THIS SITE (28 AUG 25)

this is my first webdev project and i am learning as i create. this site holds a few intentions. in its function, it is meant to serve as an avenue through which i can divest from corporate monopolies and a system which harvests the personal data of people turned into products, utilizes said data as a tool of manipulation, and profits off of (and therefore has interest in manufacturing) a shallow and ‘addictive’ relationship between users and their platforms. as i develop the site, i hope to continue to develop my politics, practice, and knowledge around cyber security, internet fluency, and self-determination. i also hope to build relationships with others outside of the limited and exploitative avenues being offered from social media and the like.

this is also a space for me to fully express myself without limitations or self-censorship. it is my own uninhibited artistic home, where i can pursue and preserve my projects and interests. i hope that this process of building my own site for these various aspects of myself will be integrative and therapeutic for me, bringing me into fuller authenticity. this is a place for me to be in harmony with my mind, creativity, and heart.

these efforts are all a part of this larger journey of building a more authentic and self-determined way of being. this is meant to be a place for me to ‘get closer to my star’ and honor the creativity and spirit that resides within me, by growing it and keeping it safe.

and lastly— i want to have fun! and i am!

PERSONAL & POLITICAL

this site is apart of a larger direction in my life where i am working to divest from exploitative ways of being online, particularly as it related to data-security. over the course of ~1.5 to 2 years, i have stopped scrolling and have been working to increase my education around online security. my continued participation in social media and low privacy protections would mean not only subjecting myself to surveillance and an invasive manipulation from big data, but i would also be contributing to the growth and legitimization of these ways of organizing the internet, which then become more powerful in the manipulation of others.

i recommend the article "Against an Increasingly User-Hostile Web” (2017) by Parimal Satyal. they also shared this as a presentation during the 2000 Paris Web conference. in my opinion, its quite an accessible read and they conclude the article with helpful tools on how to protect yourself and navigate the web in more safe ways.

this is also being exacerbated and redefined with the introduction of AI. the article by Satyal, though great, is also quite dated now considering the rate of tech development. i am still learning about the ways in which AI is being utilized to advance data-mining techniques and manipulate socio-political directions. as i learn more, i will be sharing this information in the ‘cyber space’ page, which will also have the resources i found helpful in creating my own site and links to other cool sites and users!

ACCESSIBILITY:

as mentioned in the essay, this is my first website! i am learning as i go along. as i create the site, i am keeping in mind user accessibility—checking the color contrast, trying my best to keep the alt text consistent, and not having automatic audio. if there is something i haven't considered/implemented, please feel free to let me know in the guest book.

now, the decision to or to not make this site mobile-responsive was a large point of consideration for me. as mentioned previously, this site is meant to be a way to move away from the instant and restrictive ways of being that are facilitated by social media, and by extension, mobile devices. i really do understand, and in many ways resonate with, the convictions that others have in preserving their site’s integrity by keeping it ‘desktop only.’ i want that same integrity for this space, and i feel protective of allowing this to be accessed from a phone, worried that in opening it up, the methods i am trying to leave will follow here. and also, i would consider this site as part of a larger movement to create a more free and open internet, which means, an accessible internet. and here is where my tension lies.

in thinking about accessibility and disability justice, what comes to mind for me is the notion that accessibility is not just an issue of inclusion, but rather, about questioning a culture that allows inaccessibility to be possible (2011). though this piece by Mia Mingus is in the context of physical bodies and space, it feels applicable here in the digital realm because i am struck by this power that i, a user with both a computer and a phone, have in deciding who can and cannot ‘come in’ based on ‘where they are coming from.’

i want us all to be able to move through this world in a way that is full and free. i want us to be free from invasion, corporate monopolies, instant gratification traps, and places of helplessness or confusion. i think that having access to resources or ideas that will allow for more informed decision-making around how we move on the internet is necessary if we are to continue to create safer alternatives for users. moreover, i do not want those without desktops to not have access to information that may helpful in keeping them safe.

this is all to say, i have made the site mobile responsive, in hopes that those who are accessing it via mobile can have more tools of protection and information. and also, please, this site is created for the desktop. if you have one, check out the site from there. because it’s also not just about viewing my site, but about entering into more meaningful modes of network and connectivity.

thank you for reading xx it has been a joy to create this page and write this piece. if you would like to connect over any of these ideas, please reach out through the guestbook. as i mentioned, i am still learning, and would love to chat more about this with others.

many blessings to you and your loved ones!