Re-defining the IndieWeb – Focus on the philosophy, not on tools

‘A convivial society should be designed to allow all its members the most autonomous action by means of tools least controlled by others.’ Ival Illich, Tools for convivality What is the IndieWeb? I have been thinking of this question since I hosted the IndieWeb Carnival in December 2025 when quite a few contributions engaged with some form of this question. This is a rather difficult topic to address effectively, which explains why I have been sitting on this essay since 2 February this year when I first started writing a major portion of it. I have since revised it four times in six months. In the end, a collective effort will prove critical in establishing a definitive answer to this question, but as an individual I can nevertheless contribute by building on the ideas others have already discussed. For better or worse, that is what this essay has amounted to, perhaps dishearteningly. Spirit and letter Just to be comprehensive, I want to start by clarifying that the specific terms…