graff the web
you didn’t ask for the writing, we didn’t ask for the walls
I am imagining a type of browser extension that acts as a layer on top of other sites. Something that makes it easy to modify any given website and share those modifications with others. We visit the same websites as millions of other people and on many of these we can niether share nor change things about our experiences on them. A new kind of paint is needed for the walls of of the modern web.
An example extension would let you directly modify the stylesheets of whatever website you are currently on, and save those modifications with a name and perhaps a description. Other people that visit the website can choose to use your modifications to view it. If someone notices that they like changes you share consistently, they could hvae the extension apply your style to any site by default.
If playing with every website’s style is one click away the likelyhood of you playing with any website’s style, and thus learning how it works, would be much higher. The idea that you could share your style with other people with another click could be further motivation.
You could craft experiences for those who happen upon them by going beyond CSS and into JavaScript and HTML5, providing an environment like Tributary within the context of any page. The web is already open source, but an extension like this would give you direct access to its functionality. With a tool like this expression transcends communication, you can express how you think things should work by actually changing how they work.
There are existing sites like userstyles.org and userscripts.org which act as repositories for user created styles. While a place to share is one of the features I am advocating for, I think it must be tied to an embedded editing environment that removes all friction from creation.
The place where you modify code is also the place where you publish it. You should be able to change your experience as you are having it, seeing the effects of your edits in real-time. Only after you have arrived at a change you are happy with should the thought to capture and share your modification enter your head. Then, with the click of a button you could do so.
Not only should publishing be inline, so should discovery. The extension should be able to show you available modifications while you are browsing. This would allow for passive discovery rather than requiring users to actively seek modifications. It would also making sampling and trying out many different modifications immediate and effortless.
