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+Document: WM-056                                                 P. Webb
+Category: Internet                                            2024.01.16
+
+                             manifesto.neue
+
+Abstract
+
+   Build your Neue Internet
+
+Body
+
+   We aren't getting our Internet back; the smol web, quiet web, 𝐟𝐫𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐠𝐞𝐫
+   𝐚𝐞𝐫𝐨 web, whatever you wanna call it. Pandora's Box has been opened,
+   nay, wretched and held open by the data brokerage economy; empowered
+   by unscrupulous advertisers, their lobbyists, and their political
+   allies eager to make a quick buck at the expense (lol, get wrecked)
+   of us all.
+
+   No, that Internet is gone…pilfered and gutted for its good parts,
+   redesigned and repackaged with dark patterns to keep us hooked on
+   services we don't really like; digital cocaine, if you will.
+
+   What we _can_ do is build a new Internet, together. We don't need
+   permission. We can just…do it, in our own way.
+
+   _screams internally_
+
+   UGH. Why do *I* have to work for this? I HAD it and it got stolen!!
+
+   I feel you. Truly. But if you can see the joy in tragedy, maybe you
+   can be inspired to code, sketch, write, or otherwise contribute to a
+   rebirth (renaissance?!) of the internet.
+
+   However, a common mistake we collectively make about taking the
+   internet back into our own hands is assuming everyone has the time
+   and energy to code a blog or set up a server. Even opening a terminal
+   is too much for most. You might be thinking, "you're hinting at
+   creating platforms…isn't that how we got into this mess in the
+   first place?"
+
+   Platforms aren't inherently evil, they're just the vehicles through
+   which our Internet was poisoned. How can we ensure that won't happen
+   again? To quote my friend, Jordan Green:
+
+   > The Internet amplified voices you could've easily ignored in
+   > the past.
+
+   That is, aside from giving transgressors a judgmental eye, ignore
+   them. Don't engage. Don't sign up for their service. Recommend
+   comparable services to friends and family who may inquire. We know
+   damn well that Facebook and Google will catch on and try to ride the
+   wave (see: Facebook threatening the Fediverse with Threads
+   integration, and Google shutting down yet *another* service after
+   gobbling up user data because "refocusing efforts").
+
+   "Web3," a marketing term for Ethereum-based platforms and services,
+   is supposed to save us…right? Or maybe it's "the dWeb," the
+   lesser-known marketing term for blockchain-/community-based platforms
+   and services. Their evangelists are certainly loud as fuck about how
+   their favorite blockchain is THE key to unlocking a brighter future
+   on the 'Net (greetings, I just roasted myself and am an avid
+   evangelist of (for?) the Handshake blockchain and will talk your ear
+   off if you let me).
+
+   I think the _solutions_ are somewhere in the middle. Notice the
+   plural? There is no singular salve for the blights upon our digital
+   land, despite what anyone says (I especially despise absolutist
+   rhetoric, go touch grass, breathe fresh air, or take a nap).
+
+   So, where do you come in?
+
+   If you're technical, write guides for normies (and for future you,
+   who will forget details).
+
+   If you're entrepreneurial, build platforms that make it super easy
+   for anyone to jump into the next stage of the internet. You have a
+   major responsibility to not get swayed by a billion-dollar check from
+   these tech companies (idk your financial situation so do you,
+   I guess).
+
+   If you're artistic, draw, paint, and sculpt the idealized future you
+   want to see.
+
+   If you're a musician, become more experimental with your tunes and
+   collaborate with visual artists for your cover art.
+
+   If you're a creator, period, you have no idea just how powerful you
+   are; everyone is inspired by art and depictions of what *could* be.
+   Think of your art as a template for a new world.
+
+   Create in whichever way you know how. We aren't getting our Internet
+   back but we sure as hell can steward a new one.
+
+   🕸️