What does indie mean to you?

As a preface, I am doing a "zine" of sorts for a mass media/pop culture class about the indie culture present in the yarn world...

So I would love to know what people think about:
-The meaning of indie. Do you use indie to describe yourself and your business? If not, why? Is it because the term "indie" doesn't fit?

-Does indie have a positive or negative connotation for you?

-How do you account for the growing popularity of "idie" yarn/fibers?

You can answer this even if you are not a yarny business owner, I am interested in responses from all sides!