Journal / Reading Response

Reflection on: Against an Increasingly User-Hostile Web

In the essay “Against an Increasingly User-Hostile Web,” the author talks about how the internet changed from something open and creative into spaces controlled by platforms and advertising. Many websites today feel like they are designed to keep people scrolling instead of helping them explore freely.

One idea that stood out to me was how early websites were more independent and connected through links. Now many online spaces feel closed or focused on tracking users. This made me think about how design decisions affect how people move through a website and what they pay attention to.

As a design student, I connected to the discussion about ethical design. The author suggests that designers should make calmer and more respectful digital experiences. I agree with this because good design should support users instead of overwhelming them.

Overall, the reading made me reflect on my own approach to web design. Even simple layout or interaction choices can influence how someone feels when they visit a site, so I want to think more carefully about those decisions.

Reflection on: Callum Copley — A Friend is Writing

In “A Friend is Writing,” Callum Copley reflects on how writing online can feel personal even when it happens through screens. The reading made me think about how digital communication creates a strange mix of distance and closeness.

What stood out to me was the idea of presence—how someone typing somewhere else can still feel emotionally near. It reminded me that design and language both shape how we experience connection online.

As a design student, I started thinking about how layout, timing, and interaction influence emotion. Even small interface choices can make a message feel warm, cold, distant, or personal.

Reflection on: Laurel Schwulst — My Website is a Shifting House

Laurel Schwulst describes a website as something living and changing over time instead of something fixed and finished. I really liked this idea because it makes web design feel more personal and experimental.

The reading made me think of a homepage as a space that can grow with the designer. Instead of trying to make everything look perfect from the beginning, I can let the site evolve as I learn new skills and new ways of expressing ideas.

Reflection on: Ursula K. Le Guin — A Rant About Technology

This reading made me think more critically about the way people talk about technology. Le Guin challenges the idea that technology always means progress, and that reminded me that tools are made by people and shaped by human values.

As a designer, that is important because what I create is never neutral. Design choices affect how people feel, what they notice, and how they interact with a digital space.

Reflection on: J.R. Carpenter — A Handmade Web

“A Handmade Web” celebrates personal websites, imperfection, and creative freedom online. I liked how the reading values individuality instead of polished corporate design.

It reminded me that a website can feel handmade, expressive, and human. That idea connects to the kind of work I want to make as a design student.

Reflection on: Becca Abbe — The Internet’s Back-to-the-Land Movement

This reading honestly made me rethink how I see the internet. I usually think of it as something kind of invisible and unlimited, but this essay shows that it actually depends on real energy and physical systems, which I never really thought about before.

One idea that stood out to me was the idea of smaller and more independent online communities. Instead of everything being controlled by big platforms, the reading suggests that people can create more personal and local spaces online. I found that interesting because it feels more human and less commercial.

As a graphic design student, this made me think about the ethical side of web design. A website is not just about how it looks. It also reflects choices, values, and who has control. It made me realize that even small design decisions can affect how people experience a site.

Overall, this reading made me more aware of how the internet actually works behind the surface, and it made me want to be more intentional in the way I design digital spaces.