The Open Web, as impactful as it is for our society, is currently in danger and has been for while now. There is a constant pressure from walled gardens and app stores to monopolize on information, at the detriment of all but a few. Nothing new on that front, right? We all know by now how important the Open Web is and that we need to safeguard it, especially in the WordPress community. Yet here we are, still keeping on doing the things that hurt the Open Web, and supporting the platforms that endanger it.
In this talk, we’ll look past the bare minimums of accessibility and performance to discuss how UX and monetization relate to each other, and how an healthy Open Web might need to look for alternative business models.