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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.
🕸️
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