Oddbean new post about login | logout 2012 nostr:nevent1qqsqrn3ayr8mce3dyxe70y7updk8rqasyz2kxmevs85h8expx93desspzamhxue69uhhyetvv9ujuurjd9kkzmpwdejhgtczypqyyywxa9mr7jwgcrvxytn0husk259hfpn5y36qpgjj0c8etca8jqcyqqqqqqgv4srys
The internet is the greatest opportunity human civilization has ever had to unite. I disagree with Assange.
I believe he’s saying it has been a big opportunity for freedom and unity but has been corrupted into something dystopian. I suppose that’s the mainstream internet nowadays anyway. But thankfully, we do have the kind of network that unites and frees people in this small corner of the web in Nostr.
I would agree with your point of view if we still had the internet we had in the late 90s or very early 00s. The problem now is that the vast majority is controlled by giant tech corporations, under heavy surveillance by state actors and will now be poisoned by unimaginable masses of AI generated crap. Things like the fediverse, Nostr, the Tor Project, Bitcoin and so on have the chance to turn the tide again... but we have to be alert, keeping the net free is a constant struggle against big and powerful adversaries.
no.
And when we arrive in 2024, we see that things have only gotten worse. Many people only know the internet through social media apps. They move in front of a veiled wall that is fed with content through a filter. Corporations (like Google, Microsoft, Meta etc.) collect data. States do anyway. Less people pay attention to their privacy. Instead, people are settling for ready-made opinions. Falling for opinion mongering and not reflecting on the information. Sad but true.
