Why the web should be organised around URLs, not platforms

In my previous article, The Web Became Disconnected, I argued that something important had changed about the internet. Conversations drifted away from the pages they were about. Discovery became increasingly driven by platforms and algorithms rather than curiosity. Knowledge became scattered across social networks, newsletters, forums, podcasts and messaging apps that rarely remained connected to the information that inspired them.

The web became richer in content, yet poorer in context and discovery.

But what can be done about it? The answer has been staring us in the face all along: the Uniform Resource Locator, or URL. One of the simplest and most important ideas the web ever introduced.

I've been thinking a lot recently about what happened to the internet. Not the technology. The internet itself. 

Somewhere along the way, I think we lost something important.

The web used to reward curiosity, exploration and participation. Today, much of our online experience is shaped by feeds, algorithms and platforms. Conversations have become detached from the pages they're about, discovery increasingly optimises for engagement, and some of the web's most valuable knowledge is surprisingly difficult to find.

I don't think this was inevitable.

I think the web can become more open, more participatory and more connected again.

I've written a personal essay about why I believe that, what I think we've lost, and why I've become increasingly obsessed with this problem.