HyperTexting: A New Social Media-Like Feed for the Open Web
The internet has come a long way since its early days, when everyone was promised their own domain and the ability to publish content on their small slice of the wider web. But with the arrival of social media, the landscape has changed dramatically. Social media platforms have centralized access to personal connections and conversations, and established norms in user interfaces, such as scrollable feeds, user profiles, and buttons for following, liking, and commenting. Now, a new app called HyperTexting is aiming to bring back the open web and make it as easy to surf as a social media feed.
HyperTexting, built by tech veteran Caleb Hailey, leverages RSS under the hood but doesn't promote the protocol in its marketing. It provides a way to easily post to your own website and explore and follow websites and their content in a scrollable feed format. The app also includes an "Explore" section that points users to trending content across the web, and an optional Safari extension that lets users add new websites to follow on HyperTexting as they browse the web.
Hailey was inspired to build HyperTexting after seeing Twitter lose its way over the years. He found that social media was beginning to make him feel badly about the world, and decided to create an app that would bring back the open web. In my opinion, HyperTexting is a fascinating attempt to combine the publishing and subscribing experience of the open web, and to make it more accessible to everyday users. It's a refreshing take on the decentralized federated social networking that's happening right now, and it's a reminder of the internet's early promise.
However, HyperTexting is not without its challenges. Over the years, attempts to drive mainstream consumers to RSS readers have fallen short, and it's unclear whether HyperTexting will be able to overcome these obstacles. But for now, it's a welcome addition to the app store, and a reminder of the potential of the open web. Personally, I think it's a great example of how technology can be used to bring people together and create a more connected world. What makes this particularly fascinating is the way HyperTexting leverages RSS to create a social media-like feed, while also providing a way to easily post to your own website. In my opinion, it's a step in the right direction for the future of the web, and a reminder of the importance of open protocols and decentralized networking.
