Comment by forgetfreeman
2 days ago
The infrastructure requirements around routing and switching equipment, transoceanic cables, and satellites mean someone not users has always been in control. Barring some form of anarcho-socialist mass movement around DIY long haul networking infrastructure this seems unavoidable.
The problem with the current system is the intersection of human nature and capitalism. Individuals have willingly adopted technology that aggressively surveils them in exchange for notional convenience and by and large are blandly unconcerned with the implications thereof. This also seems unavoidable as long as data collection and brokerage is permitted and profitable, and people value entertainment over critical thinking. This outcome was very accurately predicted by netizens when online advertisements first started popping up and a lot of time was spent wargaming what would happen if mass adoption lead to the net being a viable sales and marketing target.
After 35 years of observation I've had about enough of global communications systems and everything that comes from them. At this point there is very little one could say to convince me that the internet hasn't been one of our species largest fuckups.
On one hand, I agree with you; The internet, in its current state, has probably more negative aspects to it than positive ones.
But, on the other hand, I don't think that I can completely ignore the good it has brought to the world. If a person is motivated enough, he can pretty easily navigate through propaganda simply by choosing to consume information from different sources (for example, reading about the us from both the us perspective and russian or chinese perspective).
Of course, the main reason there aren't many people who do that is both simple but also complex. People don't have enough time at which they aren't either exhausted from work or life in general; or stressing about something that has to do with capitalism (either money, wars, work and etc). So at the little amount of free time that they do have - they aren't going to challenge their beliefs (or at least, the beliefs of those who surround them); It's exhausting, and it's easier to just read the propoganda, feel better about yourself because a good propaganda always have someone else to blame - and continue with your day to day life (if one can even call that life; because to me it seems more accurate to call it "existence").
But in any case, what you've said reminded me of this post and how the internet positively impacted one person; so even though I doubt it'll convince anyone of anything - it's still a very heartwarming story: <https://jimmyhmiller.com/raised>
* English isn't my first language so I apologize if there's any grammar mistake.