.io has been used as a sort of general-purpose tld to signal sort of… I dunno, hip, dev-focused sites, right? It is at least slightly less novel than gg.
Agree, but it’s important to point out that .gg grew popular in the gaming crowd because “gg” in gaming means “good game”. It’s used in-game in the chat by many players of online multiplayer games as a way of thanking each other after a match. It can be used sincerely or it can also be used sarcastically but in the latter case you’d typically say “ggez” as a taunt implying that the win was easy (“ez”) because you are more skilled than your opposing team.
And for .io of course that one is/was popular among tech companies because it looks similar to “I/O” (input/output).
It's definitely not just me but I only have a data point of one to use: Anytime I see something that isn't .com, .org, or .gov I immediately assume it's less than reputable at best and actively trying to scam/phish me at worst.
It had been that companies that “made” it would eventually pick up the .com. But it seems like it is more common to stick with whatever TLD they had before.
As an American I don't trust most things with a .us TLD. I wouldn't trust another country's TLD, either. But like I said originally -- this is just me. I'm sure others feel like I do but I am not trying to speak for them.
You can, of course, treat domains however you like, but it would be unfortunate to extend your approach worldwide. In many, many other countries the local domain is a strong signal of trust, often more so than a .com/.org.
Thinking through websites I use in Denmark, I struggle to recall one that isn't .dk.
Supermarkets (netto.dk, foetex.dk), public transport (dsb.dk, m.dk, cph.dk), newspapers/TV (politiken.dk, berlingske.dk, dr.dk), University (ku.dk, au.dk), local government (kk.dk), other retailers (computersalg.dk, proshop.dk, elgiganten.dk) ...
The largest grocery delivery company uses nemlig.com, and Ikea uses ikea.com.
As another example, if I'm applying online for a visa to Thailand, that site had better end .th.
.gg and .io are being used for novelty value.